Fighting Against Love
by eveningstar1996
Summary: It's been more than a year since Dimitri left Rose for Tasha. Now, she will see him again because Lissa and the gang are visiting Tasha for Christmas. Dimitri realizes he still loves Rose, and wants to get back with her again. Will Rose let Dimitri back into her life, or will she continue on without him?
1. Why Did You Leave Me?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Vampire Academy.

Ch. 1 Why did he leave me?

More than a year has passed since I last saw Dimitri. He left me to be with Tasha. After the cabin, and the Strigoi attack and rescue mission, I thought we'd be able to work everything out and be together. Everything between us turned out to be a lie. Why did I let myself believe every single damn word he said?

_Flashback_

"_Let's take a walk, Roza," Dimitri whispered to me after we returned from the rescue mission and saved most of the captives from the Strigoi. _

_I looked around. It was now "sunrise," but most of the people on campus would be doing other things. Besides, most of the guardians were doing clean up and asking people questions so that would keep them occupied for awhile. _

"_Let's go," I happily agreed, taking his hand as we walked to the edge of the Academy's grounds. I hoped we were going to talk more about our future…and maybe about what had happened in the cabin a little more. I smiled to myself, thinking about the cabin. It had been one of the most amazing nights – if not the most amazing night – of my life. _

_He stopped close to the weird-shaped pond we'd been at earlier, and turned to me. I was surprised to see there was sorrow and regret in his eyes. My heart twisted, and my happiness level dropped. What was going on? Why was he looking at me like that, like he was going to tell me bad news?_

"_Roza…I'm leaving."_

"_Leaving…What? Why?" I demanded, staring up at him in shock. "Do you mean…you're leaving the Academy?" This couldn't be happening. Why? What was he talking about?_

"_I'm not just leaving the Academy…I'm leaving…you, essentially."_

"_Why…why are you leaving me?" I asked, a storm of emotions flooding my heart. "You can't just leave me!"_

"_Rose, after the Strigoi attack…I realized we can't be together. We're both supposed to be Vasilisa's guardians when she graduates. If we carry on having a relationship, we're leaving Vasilisa at risk if we care more about each other than her."_

"_Don't leave me!" I begged, as a tear fell down my cheek. I didn't bother lifting my hand to wipe it away as I faced Dimitri. "Please. Don't leave me."_

"_I'm sorry," Dimitri whispered, his voice soft and laced with regret. "I…I'm going to take Tasha's offer."_

"_NO!" I shrieked, sinking to the ground. My heart felt like it was breaking into a million little pieces. It was horrible enough that he was leaving me…but he was leaving me to be with _Tasha_, of all people? Fury and jealousy filled me, almost making me forget about how my heart was breaking, but not quite. "How could you do this to me, Dimitri? I thought you loved me!"_

_Dimitri's voice was shaking as he knelt beside me and spoke. "It's what's best for me. And for Vasilisa. She'll then have two guardians perfectly dedicated to her."_

"_But last winter…you said you loved me." My voice trembled as I spoke, and I hated how I was betraying my true emotions. I didn't want Dimitri to see how I was feeling and feel sorry for me. I looked down, refusing to look into his dark eyes. "You said that's why you didn't take Tasha's offer. Why are you choosing now to take her offer?"_

"_I told you…I realized my priorities."_

_My voice was cold as I spoke, hiding all of my feelings. "So last night…it was just sex? You were just using me this whole time?"_

"_Roza, please don't say that. I'll always-"_

"_Fuck you, Dimitri. If that's what you want, fine. I hope you're happy with Tasha. I don't want to ever see you or hear from you again." And I walked away from the love of my life without looking back. _

_End of flashback_

Of course, I cried for hours afterwards. No one really paid much attention following the losses and devastation of the Strigoi attack…except for Lissa and Christian. I wouldn't tell them why I was crying so hard. I didn't want to tell anyone that he'd left (not that anyone knew about us to begin with). Dimitri left immediately after our "talk" and I never saw him again.

Lissa didn't push for me to tell her why I was so upset, because she knew I would tell her, but she deeply suspected that it was related to him. A week after the attack, I broke down in tears and confessed some of it. Dimitri and I had been in love…but he'd used me and left me for Tasha.

"That's terrible, Rose. I'm so sorry," Lissa whispered, her green eyes brimming with sorrow and sympathy for me. I could feel it through the bond. She also felt anger at Dimitri for doing this to me. It wasn't a spirit-induced anger, so I couldn't do anything about that…not that I could if I was able to anyway. _How could he just leave Rose like that_? she wondered.

Christian stood by her side, looking uncomfortable and not being snarky for once. Tasha was his aunt, the one who'd taken care of him after his parents were killed by guardians. It would be awkward for him, since Tasha was his aunt, but I was also (sort of) his friend.

"Rose…" he said, but trailed off, not knowing what to say.

I gave him a sad smile, pretending that everything was okay. "It's okay, Christian. It's not your fault, or hers. It's _his_ fault for choosing her."

Christian still visits her because they're family, but he's often reluctant to go. He never gave away how he and Tasha were doing, and I never bothered to ask. It was probably better this way, not knowing. _He_ wasn't a part of my life anymore, so I shouldn't care what was going on with him. Lissa stood by my side, and wouldn't go to Tasha's.

I never got a new mentor to train me after he left, which was fine with me. Compared to him, they'd probably be second-rate guardians. He was – is – one of the most badass guardians around, and one of the standards I held myself up to, besides my mother. Anyway, now I was good enough to graduate with the rest of my class, compared to when I'd first returned to the Academy. I didn't need anyone to train me now.

After graduation, I got assigned to Lissa, along with a guardian from a school in California. His name was Liam, and he was about six years older than me. Although I didn't really want to date again, I had to admit that he was pretty hot, with auburn hair and very dark eyes. He was very dedicated to his job and was very serious, but he did sometimes playfully flirt with me.

I was first introduced to him when me and my classmates went to Court after graduation to receive our assignments. We hadn't gotten along at first, me being cynical and snarky, and him being quiet and dedicated. I could tell that he wondered why I'd even been assigned to the last Dragomir princess. Eventually, we'd gotten to know each other a little better and started working better together.

Yesterday, Lissa asked me to come to her suite. When I came in, she tried to be delicate about breaking the news.

"Rose…you're not going to be happy about this, but please don't be too mad," she pleaded.

"What is it?" I demanded.

She hesitated, her mind working like crazy. I tried to reach into the bond to figure it out, but she threw up a wall of spirit, blocking me out. I glared at her. "Liss! What's going on?"

_Don't be too mad_, she pleaded again, looking at me with those big green eyes of hers.

I sighed impatiently. "I'm going to be mad if you don't hurry up and tell me what the fuck is going on!"

"Tasha…invited me and Christian over for the holidays," she said very meekly, looking down at her hands.

"LISSA!" I yelled, outraged. UGH!

_I told you not to be mad_, she said reproachfully to me through the bond and shaking her head.

"Sorry," I muttered, looking down. "But…seriously? Do we _have_ to go?" I sounded like I was a whining eight year old kid, but I _really_ didn't want to go. I'd have to go with Lissa since she was going, and then I'd have to watch _him_ with her, being disgustingly gooey and acting like lovebirds. And maybe have to hear them getting it on… Ew to the max. _Not_ how I wanted to spend my Christmas – which was basically a repeat of last year. Great.

Lissa winced. "I'm sorry. But it is Christmas, so…I figured, why not? Besides, you don't give a crap about him. You're going to prove that living the single life is fun for you."

I sighed. "Fine. I'm not going to be happy, though."

"I know," Lissa said, hugging me. Her feelings that I could feel through the bond told me she wasn't that much happier about this than me. "I'll make it up to you, I _promise_. Now start packing. We're leaving in two days, and we'll stay till New Year's."

I smiled at her, and left her suite, promising to start packing as soon as I could.

Once I was out of sight, I slumped down the side of the wall, not caring who saw me. Misery washed over me as I contemplated the weeklong stay at Tasha's.

No matter what I told anyone, deep down inside…I was still hurting over him. The thoughts I usually kept locked up came rushing through me again. Why did he leave me? I wondered for the millionth time.

There was always the obvious answer…that he'd wanted to be with Tasha. Yet, there had to be something more to it-

No. I was done. I wasn't going to think about him anymore. If he'd found it so easy to leave me, then I definitely wasn't going to even think about him.

This Christmas was going to be the worst fucking Christmas ever.

* * *

Dundundun...Kind of short but hopefully next chapters will be a little longer :D


	2. We Meet Again

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Vampire Academy.

* * *

Ch. 2 We Meet Again

Eddie, Adrian, Dash, and Liam came with us on our visit.

Dash was Adrian's guardian, assigned to whenever Adrian left the safety of Court. Since Adrian rarely left Court, Dash was often away guarding other royals and sometimes even non-royal Moroi.

Eddie had been assigned to Christian after graduation. In truth, Christian should've had two guardians – he was a royal after all. But after his parents turned Strigoi, the sigma still lingered over the Ozera family. As punishment, the guardian allocations for their family had been cut down to one. It was unfair, but we couldn't do anything about it.

_It'll be okay_, Lissa whispered to me before we landed in California around noon – which was technically midnight for the Moroi world. We would have to run on a human schedule while on our visit. The constant sun would make it harder on the Moroi, but I loved being out in the sun. I was a little surprised she would choose to be here, but not like I was complaining…too much.

I wish I could tell her it wouldn't be okay. How could anything be okay anymore, after my true love had left me for _another_ woman?

I gave her a small smile, but I think she could see through me. She gave me a sympathetic smile. _You won't even need to talk to D- I mean, him_, she hastily corrected herself.

We rented out a huge van, and since Liam was the oldest, he got to drive.

"I never get to drive the car," I complained.

"Please, you'll get plenty of time to drive…once we get to Lady Ozera's," Liam said to me without taking his eyes off the road.

Lissa had warned him when she'd taken him on as a guardian that I had some issues with Tasha Ozera, but hadn't explained in detail. As such, he was polite and didn't ask what had happened, but referred to her as Lady Ozera. It touched me, considering how he didn't know what had happened.

* * *

"Welcome!" Tasha called as she opened the door to her house.

It was a medium-sized two story house in the suburbs of LA. With the constant sunshine here, no Strigoi would want to come here. Although too much sunshine would weaken Moroi, it would keep most Strigoi away since they wouldn't want to come here as often. Still, they could strike at night when we didn't expect them to.

"Thanks for inviting us," Lissa said a bit cautiously as she moved into the house with her luggage.

"It's no problem," Tasha said cheerily, trying to act oblivious to my presence. That was fine with me. "Come in everyone!"

We stepped into the living room, and we all gasped.

The floor was soft beige carpeting, and the walls were painted a light eggshell blue. I could still smell fresh paint, although the couple must've moved in six months earlier. A flat screen TV was on one side of the wall, with comfortable, kickass couches scattered about.

I heard footsteps and tensed up. There was only one person whom it could be.

A man came into view, and suddenly my heart rate was a little faster and the room felt warm. Although I hadn't seen him for a year and a half…I would know him anywhere. Hell, if I hadn't seen him for fifty years, I think I would still recognize him.

Dark, bottomless chocolate brow eyes it felt like I could fall into...Lightly tanned skin….Dark brown hair that was now slightly above his shoulders and was slightly damp, like he'd taken a shower recently….

It was Dimitri. And oh God, he looked as gorgeous as the last time I'd ever seen him…

He was dressed in a white shirt that clung to his muscled body, and sweats. I scolded myself for noticing him, and how good he looked. I couldn't help but admire his gorgeous features.

His eyes widened when he saw me. I was a little surprised he was showing some of his emotions so openly. I thought I could see a flash of regret in his eyes as he looked at me, but I turned away and told myself to ignore it. He no longer loves you, I whispered to myself. It was the sad but hard truth. The sooner I finally accepted it and moved on, the easier my life would be.

"Princess Dragomir," he said formally to Lissa and greeted everyone else cordially. Adrian eyed him coolly, and was very nonchalant and even a little rude towards him. When he came to me, he hesitated. "Rose…"

"Guardian Belikov, I'm not Rose to you, it's Guardian Hathaway," I said brusquely, keeping my emotions off my face.

"Of course…Guardian Hathaway," Dimitri said. A slight bit of pain flashed in his dark eyes before he turned away. He seemed hurt that I was calling him by his formal title, and not his actual name, which made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

"You guys know each other?" Liam asked, raising his eyebrow.

"He was my mentor," I said coolly, grateful Liam was interrupting my "talk" with Dimitri. "He left after the Strigoi attack to…guard Lady Ozera."

And make babies with her, I added bitterly. I looked around, but to my surprise, there were no cries or shouts from children. Were they at a daycare or something?

I noticed Lissa speaking with Christian in soft rapid tones. She looked over at me from across the room. _Rose_, she said, _Christian says that…he's never had kids with her_.

I shouldn't have cared at all…but my heart felt a little lighter. If he hadn't had kids with her…

Stop. I shouldn't care, I reminded myself.

"Well, get settled in," Tasha said to everyone. "I'll show you all to your rooms."

I was sharing a room with Lissa…and across the hall was the room that Dimitri and Tasha apparently shared. Of all the damn luck we had to get the room closest to Dimitri.

After I put my luggage down I met with Liam. "I know that here it's very sunny, but we still need to be on the lookout for Strigoi," he said in a low voice. "They might want to strike at night, when we're not expecting them, even if that's supposed to be daytime for us."

"I know," I said, nodding. "And we need to keep the Moroi safe at all times."

"Lady Ozera and Christian control fire…but we can't just leave them to defend themselves," Liam said quietly. "Still, it'll be easier for us to keep an eye on Princess Vasilisa and Lord Ivashkov if we're attacked since they can distract the Strigoi." Like me, Liam fiercely believed that the Moroi should be able to defend themselves if they chose. That was a pretty hot topic at Court still, even after more than a year had passed.

I nodded. "I'll check the perimeters while you keep an eye on everyone else with Dash."

"Right," Liam said, and smiled. He gave me a quick peck on the cheek right as Dimitri was coming around the corner.

He immediately stopped in his tracks, and his eyes shifted from me to Liam. His eyes were guarded, and he didn't reveal his emotions. "Guardian Hathaway. Guardian Lancaster."

"Guardian Belikov," I said coolly and strolled away as fast as I could.

Once out of sight, I heard some loud voices behind me, like two people were arguing. I hesitated, and scurried back to around the corner, and eavesdropped on Dimitri and Liam.

"Why the fuck did you kiss her?" Dimitri demanded, sounding visibly upset. "You…you two aren't dating, are you?"

"What concern is that of yours?" Liam retorted, his voice angry as he spoke, and I had to agree with him. "I have a right to kiss her if I wish, and if she allows me to. You were her mentor, so why do you care?"

I could hear Dimitri take a deep breath from around the corner, presumably to calm himself down. "It is because I was once her mentor that I care," he said evenly. "I don't want her taken advantage of by some other man."

I pressed a hand to my mouth to stifle the squeak of surprise. Now he chose to act like he cared about me, when I was supposed to be over him? What the hell was going on?

"Taken advantage of?" Liam repeated, his tone incredulous. "You were only her mentor! You're not her father or her friend, so you shouldn't even care. You care so much…did you take advantage of her?"

"I didn't take advantage of her," Dimitri hissed, and I heard some thuds, like they were hitting each other.

I took a small breath to quiet my trembling, and walked downstairs so I could check that the perimeter was secured.

* * *

Lissa POV

I watched Rose run down the stairs and head outside. No matter her tough words and the front she put up, she wasn't okay. I couldn't read her thoughts through the bond like she could read mine, but she was my best friend.

It's been a year and a half since she last saw him, I thought sadly, putting up a barrier so she couldn't read my thoughts. It hurt me, knowing that my best friend was still heartbroken and no matter what she did, she couldn't forget him. Sometimes at night, I could hear her crying when she thought no one could hear her.

To my surprise, when I came back to myself, I could see Dimitri standing in front of me. His dark eyes were serious.

"Princess Dragomir, may I speak with you for a moment?"

"Yes, Guardian Belikov," I answered. We left the others in the kitchen and went into the living room.

"Why do you want to speak to me privately?" I asked, lacing my hands together and putting them in my lap. I had a feeling it was related to Rose, but why would he want to know anything about her? Besides I was probably wrong anyway.

Dimitri hesitated for a moment. He frowned, and then his words came out. "I wanted to ask…how….Roza – I mean, Rose – has been doing," he said softly.

I stared at him in shock. I hadn't expected my prediction to actually come true. The man who had broken my best friend's heart to be with another woman was asking how she was doing? Was he out of his mind?

"She's doing great. She would be doing even better if you hadn't broken her heart to be with another woman," I hissed at him angrily. I knew she wasn't doing so well…but he didn't need to know that. Yet, at least. Anger filled me. How dare he try to find out how Rose was doing now? If he'd really cared about her, he wouldn't have left her in the first place.

"Please, let me explain-" Dimitri tried, but I cut him off. I didn't want to hear it. I was glad I'd put the barrier up. Rose didn't need to see this weird conversation with him.

"There's _nothing_ to explain. You're living a perfect life with Tasha Ozera, just like you wanted when you left all those months ago," I said harshly. I lifted my chin haughtily and stared at him. "You don't need Rose. If you're just hoping that she'll come back to you, you obviously don't know her. If you really loved her, you wouldn't have even _thought_ about leaving her!"

Pain and sorrow filled Dimitri's eyes. "Please…hear me out."

"I'm not going to bother," I said, rising to my feet and glaring at him. "You'll need a very good reason for why you want to talk to me next time! If you want to know how Rose really is, then you ask her yourself. I'm not your messenger, Guardian Belikov."

Dimitri's features hardened as I addressed him by his formal title. "Very well, _Princess_ Dragomir. I will talk to her myself."

He stormed out of the room, and I watched him go. There would be nothing I could do to stop him from talking to Rose, but the last I could do was give her a heads-up.

* * *

Rose POV

I angrily stalked around the perimeter of the house. I really wished I hadn't come, but of course, I had no choice. Being Lissa's guardian I had to come along. He's doing just fine without me, I thought bitterly as I scanned the area. No need for him to pretend that he's so nice, checking up on his ex-friend with benefits.

Now, I didn't believe in love. Not after how Dimitri had left me. If he'd claimed to love me so much, why had he decided to leave me? And now the jerk had the nerve to get mad when Liam kissed my cheek. Asshole.

Lissa called to me through the bond. _Rose_!

I couldn't exactly respond, so I just kept on walking. She continued, _Dimitri spoke to me. He wants to have a word with you_.

If I'd been able to respond, I would've told her to tell him to fuck off. She couldn't read my thoughts. A collection of swear words appeared in my head at what I wanted to say to that but I heaved a huge sigh.

Being on the lookout for Strigoi, I wasn't exactly paying attention to if there was a person in front of me. A tall figure suddenly appeared in front of me. I let out a very loud shriek and jumped about five feet into the air. I finally realized it was Dimitri who stood before me.

"Rose…it's good to see you again," he whispered, his Russian accent lacing his words.

I felt a twinge in my heart at seeing him but ignored it. I crossed my arms over my chest and scowled at him. "You wish it was good. So. Now we meet again, after a year and half. And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Guardian Hathaway?"

"You don't really mean that, Roza," he whispered, reaching his hand out towards me. "And you used to call me Comrade."

I sprang away from him like he was a snake. My heart twisted at his use of his old nickname for me when he felt affectionate towards me. "I do mean that, _Guardian Belikov_. Guardians don't address each other by their actual names, let alone nicknames."

"You used to let me call you that," Dimitri argued softly. There was a gentle look in his eyes that made me want to melt. He stepped forward and put a hand on my arm. I froze at his touch. "Please, just let me-"

"No!" I shouted, recoiling away from his touch. "If you think that acting like you still have feelings for me will win me back, you obviously don't know me. _You're_ the one who left me. If you regret your choice now, which I doubt, that's too bad."

"It's not that-" Dimitri began.

Something occurred to me, and I glared at him. "And you're with Tasha now. You're just cheating on her if you hope to get me!" That made him scummier than what was under a boat for even looking at me that way. Besides, I was over him. I was living the single life, and enjoyed being free of a guy.

At least, that's what I think I believe.

"I'm _not_ two-timing Tasha!" Dimitri yelled, anger finally in his eyes. He'd finally lost control of his emotions.

I continued to glare at him. "Yeah? Two-timing is when you're with another person, and you act like you like someone else, you jerk."

With that, I turned and stormed back into the house, slamming the door behind me with a bang.

* * *

Dundundun...Dimitri tried to make a move on Rose but she won't let him. Reviews greatly appreciated ;D


	3. Not Perfect

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Vampire Academy.

* * *

Ch. 3 Not Perfect

Everyone in the kitchen looked up as I slammed the door behind me. My head was reeling from the events that had just taken place outside.

Lissa shot to her feet in alarm. _What happened?_ she demanded, taking my expression in.

"Lissa, let's go upstairs," I said, aware that everyone in the room was staring at us and probably wondering what the fuck was going on. Like I'd advertise my previous relationship with Dimitri in front of them, since besides Lissa and Christian, only Adrian knew.

We went up to our room, where we could have a little privacy. Privacy was hard when you had Moroi with supersensitive hearing. After Lissa sat down on one of the beds, I spilled everything that had happened when I was on patrol. "He's trying to act like he still has feelings for me! Why does he think that I still have feelings for him?"

Lissa let out a low whistle. "Wow…Oh, yeah. There's something I have to tell you."

I narrowed my eyes at her. I could feel unease radiating off her and through the bond. "Spill, Liss."

"When you went out to patrol…he came up to me and asked to speak to me privately. He asked me how you were doing. I sort of let him have it, but he asked me to hear him out. Of course, I didn't bother listening."

I smiled wanly at her. "Just call him Dimitri, there's no getting around it while we're here."

Then Lissa's words fully sank in, and I stared at her in shock, and sank onto the bed next to her. "WHAT? He asked how I was doing? He has got to be fucking kidding me."

Lissa sighed. "I don't even know what he's thinking…"

I stared at her. Now I really wanted to know something, but I couldn't dare ask. It would make everyone think I still cared about him when I didn't give a fuck. I didn't care about him at all. Not even a little bit.

I heard footsteps outside our room and someone knocked. I flung open the door, and Adrian's guardian Dash stood there. He was about a year older than Adrian. The rest of us hardly knew him, but he seemed to have a cheery light personality. "Hello, Dash."

"Guardian Hathaway, Tasha wants to go out tonight for dinner," he said with a sigh. His words were laced with an English accent. From what we'd heard, he was from London and had attended school there. "It's a special Moroi restaurant that'll also have feeders for them."

"That should reduce our workload a little," I murmured. "Just call me Rose, Harry Potter." I gave him a very cheeky grin at the end.

Dash narrowed his eyes at me playfully and thickened his accent a little as he spoke. "Very funny. I'm from England, and now you go around calling me Harry Potter."

I laughed. "Too bad, Prince William."

"Tasha wants to leave around 7 or so," Dash added, ignoring my second snarky comment. I couldn't help it, I was snarky around practically everyone.

I checked my phone. 2:15. "Okay, tell Eddie and Liam then. We'll still keep a good lookout even though it should be safer."

Dash nodded and left me with Lissa.

* * *

Dimitri POV

I stared in shock at the door. Rose had just slammed the door behind her after yelling at me for two-timing Tasha. I didn't like Tasha romantically. It was true she still liked me, but she cared enough about me not to push me into having a relationship with her.

I never told anyone that I wasn't truly involved with Tasha. I just liked her as a friend, and although I'd told people that I'd accepted Tasha's offer…I would never have kids with her.

Not when I still loved Roza.

She looked so beautiful and gorgeous when I saw her again…It had been so long since I'd laid eyes on her. But of course, she completely hated me now. I couldn't exactly blame her, after what I'd said to her. She'd cried as she walked away from me the last day I'd seen her.

I thought she still loved me.

I think she still does, I thought as I re-entered the house and shut the door behind me. That look in her eyes when she first saw me. How could she deny the love we once shared?

And I have to make things right with her. I have to make her believe me. I really don't love Tasha. I only love her.

I tapped Tasha's shoulder, and she looked up at me with her blue eyes. "Yes, Dimka?"

"I need to talk to you," I whispered, aware that Adrian was looking over in our direction. His mouth curled up in disdain when he saw me.

"Yes, of course," Tasha said, quickly putting down her glass of soda and hurrying into the bathroom with me.

"What's wrong?" she quickly asked once we were alone.

"I just realized…I still love Roza," I whispered, letting my emotions show on my face. "I thought I'd gotten over her when I chose to-"

Tasha interrupted me with a sigh. "Dimka, Dimka. Did you really think that you could hide your emotions from me? I knew that you were still in love with Rose the moment you came down and saw her. And I knew that you hadn't recovered still."

"I was doing a good job of faking it," I said bitterly, looking away from Tasha and towards the large glass windows.

"No. I've never seen you like this before. I still don't understand. Why would you choose to go with me, and act like you don't love Rose when it's clear you still love her?" she asked, confusion clear in her voice and eyes.

It was what was best for us, I answered in my head.

Aloud I said, "It's…a long story." She'd asked me this before, but I always never bothered to respond. And in truth, it was a long story.

She shook her head. "Now what do you plan to do?"

"I'll get Rose back, even if I have to die," I whispered. I was willing to do anything necessary to get my Roza back with me. But I knew it wouldn't be easy, considering how cold she'd been to me earlier.

Tasha arched an eyebrow at me in doubt. "And just how are you planning to pull that off? She believes that we're together getting it on, and planning to pop out more babies."

Her word choice was crude, but probably true. "I'll tell her the truth-"

"Please, like she'd even listen to you? You need to consider your moves very carefully while trying to win her back."

"I need to get time to talk to her before we go out," I murmured.

Tasha sighed and headed towards the door. "I can arrange that. I'll just ask everyone except you to tour the gardens around the house."

* * *

Rose POV

The hours dragged by in the afternoon. Tasha living somewhere with so much sunshine was definitely helpful, don't get me wrong. But it was kind of boring, since we only checked outside hourly. And my early Strigoi alert system – an effect of me being shadow kissed – definitely helped us out more.

I was lounging on one of the couches, flipping through the channels, when Tasha suddenly stood up. "I want to give everyone a tour of my gardens," she announced.

"Boring," I muttered, and flipped through more channels on the TV.

"I want to see!" Lissa said in excitement. "Maybe I could try to grow something with spirit."

Adrian yawned. "I might as well come, so I can have Lissa teach me how to grow things."

Christian looked like he was going to die, but Lissa looked so eager to go. "Fine, I'm only going because Liss is," he grumbled. Lissa leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Dash, Liam, and Eddie should be enough to protect us," Tasha added.

Dimitri looked up in surprise from across the room, where he'd been reading a Western novel. "You don't need me to come with you, Tasha?"

"Please, it's still daylight," she said lightly to him, putting a hand on his arm. Although I was getting over Dimitri, it still made me angry to see them touch. I don't care, I don't care, I chanted to myself over and over. I couldn't help it. He'd chosen _her_ over me, but I still got mad when I saw them touch. Ugh!

"Besides, you know I can defend myself," she added.

Dimitri nodded, seeming resigned. "Very well, but be careful."

Uh oh. I was _not _staying with Dimitri, even if I hated to see flowers.

"Uh, Liss, maybe I should come with you," I said quickly, uncrossing my legs from the couch and standing up.

Liam raised his eyebrows at me. "Are you saying I'm not good enough to protect Vasilisa?"

"No, it's not that! I think it'd be better if you had four guardians instead of three," I said, making up an excuse on the fly. Anything would be better than staying in here with Dimitri.

"I thought you thought seeing flowers was boring," Lissa commented, tilting her head to the side and looking at me in confusion.

I shot her a look that would've frozen glass. She widened her eyes in apology. _I'm sorry! I forgot he was here!_

"Just stay here," Tasha said gently. "We'll be back in about fifteen minutes or less." With that, the whole group headed out the door, chattering happily.

And now I was completely alone with Dimitri. Great.

I did my best to ignore him, but it was hard not to feel his presence in the room. I acted as blasé as possible, and got up to get a drink from the kitchen.

I passed his chair, and he put his hand against my arm.

I froze like I had earlier, and turned around to glare at him. His eyes were gentle as I glared at him. "Will you kindly stop touching me before I get someone to beat you up?"

"I'm sorry, Roza," Dimitri apologized.

I now whirled around so we weren't touching, keeping my back to him. "Just because I'm here alone doesn't mean I'm thrilled to be with you."

"I know," Dimitri said, his voice pained. "But…when I first saw you…I thought you still might have feelings for me."

"Well, you thought wrong. I don't have any feelings for you. You sure as hell don't have feelings for me, considering you left me more than a year ago," I said bitterly. Why was I standing here arguing with him instead of ignoring him like he was furniture?

There was a pause, and then he asked very quietly, "Do you like Liam?"

I was pissed now. If I liked anyone or not was none of his fucking business. "You can stop pretending you care if I'm okay, you know. I got the message clearly that you don't love me."

"Do you like him?" he pressed. "After I saw him kiss your cheek…"

Did Dimitri have a fucking death wish or something? I whipped around and snapped, "That is none of your fucking business! You made it clear you didn't want to be with me when you left."

I was about to storm off towards the kitchen when he took my hand. The feeling of his hand on mine…it felt the same as when we were still together, and when I would've never doubted his love for me.

"But Roza…"

I tried to get my hand out of his, but he was too strong. "You're with Tasha now! And why haven't you popped out babies yet?"

I'd chosen those words to hurt him, and he dropped my hands and scowled at me. It secretly thrilled me, to have him display his emotions so openly on his face when he usually kept a poker face. "I don't plan on having kids with Tasha! No matter, what you think, my life is _not_ perfect."

"You're clearly having a perfect life, while I'm having a life that isn't perfect," I shot back. I instantly regretted my words but too late. "You got an offer to guard a friend of yours. And while you're guarding this friend, you can also get it on and make more dhampir babies."

"I already told you, I'm not having kids with Tasha," he hissed.

Hearing him tell me that he didn't plan on having kids with Tasha….why did a wave of relief crash over me? Why did I care?

"Why not?" I snarled. "If you love her-"

"I don't love Tasha!"

I froze, and stared at him. "_What_?"

"I just told you. I don't love Tasha. I only love you, Roza."

"You're lying," I said, in complete disbelief. There was no way he could still love me, even though at the same time, deep down inside of me, I wished it was true.

"I only love you, and I want you back," Dimitri said, a hint of pleading and lots of determination in his voice. He reached out and put his arms around my waist, drawing me against him.

I was shocked by his declaration. And there was a part of me that wanted to respond to his words, and to how he was holding me so close to him. But no, I couldn't. He was with Tasha, and I didn't care about him, I reiterated in my head. It was so hard to think right though, with him being so close that I could inhale that familiar scent of his…

"Well, that's too fucking bad, because I don't want you," I said fiercely.

Dimitri turned me so that he could see my face, and I could see he was arching an eyebrow at me.

He pulled me even closer and whispered, "Are you sure you don't want me?"

Before I knew what he was doing, he leaned down to me and kissed me passionately.

My mouth responded to him, and I kissed him back. I could feel his tongue playing against my mouth, and I opened my mouth so that our tongues touched. I let out a whimper as he kissed me a little harder. He loosened one hand from around my waist so he could reach up and stroke the back of my neck.

The part of my brain that knew what was right was screaming at me to stop. Stop kissing Dimitri! I didn't want to listen, but I now struggled against Dimitri.

He wasn't going to let me go as he held me tighter and kept kissing me. My lips felt tingly from his kiss.

I now raised my hand and slapped him across the face….particularly across his mouth

"Roza!" he gasped, letting go of me and touching his hand to his mouth.

"Don't ever fucking touch me again!" I yelled at him as I ran up the stairs and slammed the door. It's the second time today I've had to slam a door after talking to him.


	4. A Little Revenge

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Vampire Academy.

* * *

Ch. 4 A Little Revenge

Well then. Now I knew why Dimitri had stayed in the house – so he could attempt to talk to me and try to kiss me.

Although my mind told me to forget it, and that he was just being a huge asshole…I couldn't help but recall that his voice sounded sincere when he told me he didn't love Tasha – that he loved _me_.

I also recalled his kiss. The feeling of his lips against my own…

I had to stop this way of thinking or next thing I knew I'd end up in his _bed_. Not going to happen.

He probably just wants to get you into bed, I said to myself. Yes, that's it. He's just acting like he doesn't love Tasha and that he loves me so he can get me into bed with him.

Why didn't he try that at the Academy? a little traitor voice asked me. Why did he wait so long before you slept with -

I pushed those traitorous thoughts out of my head. I heard the door open downstairs. Tasha and the others must be back from the tour.

"Where…where's Rose?" I heard Lissa ask from below.

I faintly heard Dimitri's reply. "Upstairs." His voice sounded a bit glum and morose.

Lissa ran up the stairs and barged into our room. "Rose, what happened? You look like someone died. And he doesn't look that much better."

I hesitated. Should I tell her about the kiss Dimitri stole from me?

As if she could read my mind, Lissa sighed. "Rose, I'm your best friend. What happened?"

I told her the whole story, leaving nothing out. When I got to the part about the kiss, Lissa gasped but kept quiet.

After I finished, she still didn't say anything. Then, she asked very softly, "What did you feel while he was kissing you?"

"That he was being a two-faced asshole who's cheating-"

"That's not what I meant," she said dryly. _Come on, you can read my thoughts. You know what I mean_. Between being able to read her mind, and her ability to see auras and tell if anyone was lying, it was hard to lie to each other.

I groaned and flopped down on the bed. "It felt…nice. For about two seconds." I left out how I wanted to keep kissing him.

Lissa looked down at her hands and then at me. "I can't see auras that well, like Adrian. But…when I look at him, his aura around Tasha…it doesn't show love."

"What about Tasha herself?" I asked, then chastised myself for caring.

"She still likes him a lot."

There was a question on the tip of my tongue. If Dimitri's aura didn't reflect love while he was around Tasha…then what did it reflect when he was around me?

Of course, I couldn't ask it. I would never know that.

Lissa opened her mouth to say something, but I cut her off. "Please, Liss. I don't want to talk about this anymore. I don't care about him."

"You…you're more hurt than you're letting on," Lissa said sadly. "You can try to put on a tough act and pretend that you're fine. I've known you the longest, and you're not fooling me. You can't lie to me."

"I'll be fine," I said, putting on my best Rose Hathaway face. I had to pretend I would be fine, for everyone's sake. I didn't want everyone worrying and fussing over me. "Besides, it's almost Christmas! Time to go shopping sometime, huh?"

Lissa frowned, but dropped the subject. At least, for now. "Yeah, it is. We'll have to go out to the mall sometime."

"Do we need to get gifts for everyone?" I asked.

"Yes, to be polite," she said patiently. "Even a certain someone you don't want to talk about."

I groaned, and flopped down on the bed. "Are you serious? Nothing in the world will get me to shop for him!"

"Oh, come on, Rose. It'll at least make him feel a little awkward," Lissa said, keeping her tone light.

"Fine!" I grumbled, and turned around so I could punch the pillow. "But I really want some revenge on him. I'm only giving him a present to make him awkward."

"Revenge, huh?" Lissa said, arching an eyebrow at me. Why could everyone do that, except for me?

"Yes, I want revenge," I asserted.

"So much for acting like you don't care," she muttered. I opened my mouth to retort, but she cut me off. "But…if you really want revenge, I guess you could just act like a flirt around Liam or Dash-"

"Or Adrian," I put in.

"Liam doesn't know about you used to be with Dimitri," Lissa reminded me. "But Adrian does, and he does genuinely care about you. Are you planning to get Dimitri jealous?"

I sighed in resignation. Damnit. She'd seen right through me, as I'd known she probably would. "Yeah. I guess you could say that."

Lissa studied me. "You're trying to see if he genuinely means his words, aren't you?"

"Not really…it would be a bonus though. Besides, I haven't exactly used all of my charm and flirting skills for a while. Might be funny to knock Adrian over when I do that," I said, trying to sound blasé.

Lissa smiled briefly. "Work your goddess magic when we go out. And maybe you could also flirt with Liam to confuse _him_…"

* * *

Finally it was time to get ready for going out to dinner. Even though it was winter in LA, we just dressed like it was summertime.

"Are you sure the restaurant will let us in like this?" Eddie asked, looking somewhat perturbed.

"Of course," Tasha said cheerily as she led the way out to the cars.

I strolled by Dimitri with Lissa, making sure to be flaunting the skin I hadn't covered up in my summer clothes.

_If you're trying to give him a heart attack, it's working_, Lissa said with a sigh. _He's staring at you like…you're the moon_.

I was wearing a pale blue tank top that emphasized my tanned skin. It revealed my slim shoulders, and hugged my body very tightly. It also had a somewhat low neckline that showed off part of my cleavage. My jean shorts were very short, only reaching to my fingertips when my hands were by my sides.

Adrian let out a low whistle when he saw me. "Damn, you clean up well, little dhampir."

"Why thank you," I said with a grin. I trailed my fingers over his arm, and whispered as sultrily as possible, "You don't look too bad yourself, Ivashkov." I gave him my best man-eater smile, a smile I hadn't used to full effect (if at all) for a very long time.

Adrian looked surprised at my touch, and coughed to hide his surprise. He caught hold of my hand and kissed it. "Ladies first, ma chère," he added in a really bad French accent but gesturing me towards the van.

I laughed. "Merci beaucoup," I said in an accent that wasn't much better than his.

_Look at the expression on his face_, Lissa said to me.

I let myself briefly see through her eyes. She was standing near Tasha, and Dimitri had a very dark look on his face, no doubt from the exchange he'd just witnessed. If I didn't know any better, I would've said he was jealous.

I smiled wickedly to myself as I left her mind. This was only the first phase of my plan.

* * *

Since there were too many of us to fit into the van, Tasha and Dimitri drove to the restaurant in their own car. The rest of us got into the van we'd rented from the airport, and as usual, Liam got to take the wheel. I couldn't help but wonder when I would be able to get to drive. I'd gotten my driver's license about a month ago, and I couldn't wait to drive.

I sat with Adrian in the back. "So what was with the touching back there?" Adrian murmured, careful to keep his voice low enough so no one else could hear.

"I can't flirt every now and then?" I asked, trying to sound innocent and demure. Liam backed up the van and we were on our way.

"You don't flirt very often nowadays," Adrian pointed out, his voice turning serious. He studied me with those emerald green eyes, and I kind of felt like I was drowning in depths of green. "Rose, why are you flirting with me now?"

I sighed. He'd seen right through me. "I just wanted to flirt a little to make someone jealous," I muttered as fast as I could.

Adrian was silent for a moment before he laughed. "And people say I'm the bad one. You're terrible, little dhampir."

"Flirting isn't a crime," I said airily as Liam pulled up at the restaurant and we filed out.

The restaurant was called the Butterfly Hour. Ugh. Embarrassing name, but oh well.

It served all types of food, which I was grateful for. I was really in the mood for sushi.

"How'd you even find out about this place?" Adrian asked, sipping a glass of champagne halfway through our meal. I stared – how the hell had he gotten alcohol so soon?

"You need to find places that cater to Moroi once you're out here," Tasha explained as she cut up her steak. "This is also how I get feeders."

That was the thing about being Moroi – they couldn't go without blood for very long. And if you were out in the world instead of somewhere like Court, you couldn't exactly find fringe humans around every corner to feed from. In major cities like LA, there were places that were especially for Moroi.

"I'm getting a little…thirsty," Lissa admitted. In the dim lighting, I could tell she looked a little pale and weak.

I shook my head at her. "For someone who lives at Court, you sure don't act very responsible. You need to get your blood more often."

"I'm busy at Lehigh!" Lissa protested. "I can't always remember to go get blood every_"

"The feeders are that way," Tasha said, pointing towards a room that was obscured by a red velvet curtain. "But I'll show you the way."

She got up and led the Moroi towards the feeder room.

"Well, that's the benefit of eating here," Liam noted, looking around the room. "Feeders for the Moroi, and more protection."

Because so many Moroi frequented this place, there were always a few guardians on hand. And the guardians that other Moroi had with them always came along to look after their charges.

I now put my hand on Liam's arm just like I'd done earlier with Adrian, and gently moved my fingers up his arm. "Less strenuous on us, and definitely more relaxation," I purred.

Across the table, I could see Dimitri's rigid posture as he sipped his soda. He did _not_ like how I was flirting with Liam. This was way too fun.

Liam looked a little stunned, his blue eyes wide. I rarely took the first move and flirted with him. I usually responded a little to his flirtation, but never initiated it. He put his hand over mine, and stroked my thumb. "More relaxation is good," he agreed, still seeming dazed by my flirting.

"You know what type of relaxation sounds good?" I continued. Dimitri's fists were balled, and he definitely looked mad now. The best part was that he couldn't do anything or he'd cause a huge scene here.

"What?" Liam asked, moving his hand up to my neck. I sighed as he started stroking my neck.

"Massages."

"Why don't I give you a massage once we go back?" Liam asked, his voice low and sexy as he spoke.

I smiled up at him as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "That would be amazing, Liam. I'm so stressed and tired, and I really need a way to relax."

"Will you stop flirting with each other while we're out on duty?" Dimitri demanded from across the table, slamming down his glass. Some of the other patrons looked over but quickly looked away when they saw the angry look on his face. I thought I could see a little bit of jealousy but I had to be dreaming. Even though I wanted to make him jealous, I doubted he would get jealous easily.

Dash looked at him in shock. "You are being so rude. Take a chill pill and relax, Belikov."

"Excuse me," Dimitri muttered, putting down his napkin and quickly heading for the men's bathroom.

Liam raised his eyebrows at me after Dimitri was out of earshot. "Your mentor sure gets jealous easily."

I shrugged. "He's acting really weird. I have no idea what his problem is."

And I still sort of didn't.

* * *

Adrian drank way too much alcohol so we had to drag him out with the help of Dash, Liam, and Dimitri.

"Why do you always go overboard on alcohol?" Lissa chastised as they put him in the front of the van with a bag in case he threw up.

"Alcohol's very good," Adrian slurred with a slight smile on his face.

Christian shook his head in disgust as he looked down at Adrian. "He won't have a liver by the time he's thirty."

"Er, Rose, do _you_ want to drive?" Liam asked me with a slightly hopeful look on his face.

Wow. _Now_ he wanted me to drive, with a hung over Adrian in the front as my passenger? No thank you. Even if Adrian didn't throw up, being near him while he was hung over was nauseating. "Nah, the honor's all yours," I said cheerily, making a gesture towards the front.

Liam groaned and got into the driver's seat as the rest of us filed in.

The drive home was very quiet. No one made conversation. I felt a little sleepy from all the food I'd eaten.

Tasha and Dimitri arrived before us, and were already chilling in the living room when we walked in.

Tasha looked over at us and groaned. "Put Adrian in his room across from the bathroom. And I'll get some water." She got up gracefully and hurried to the kitchen for a glass of water.

With a lot of effort, Dash, Liam, Eddie, and I managed to haul Adrian into his room from the van and get him on the bed. I tugged off his shoes and put them in the corner.

Tasha appeared with a glass of water and put it on the nightstand. "Does this always happen?"

"Yes," Dash groaned. "From what I hear, he always gets hung over when he drinks, and then we need to carry him home. I don't want more arm muscles from carrying him."

"I really need a massage now," I groaned. I really ached all over from carrying Adrian now.

"Here, Rose, I'll give you a massage," Liam said with a wink. He led me to the couch, and put his hands on my shoulders, and I sighed in contention. "Does that feel better?"

"Mhm," I sighed, snuggling a little closer against his chest.

From across the room, I could hear someone clearing his throat. No doubt it was Dimitri.

_Rose, don't you think you've had enough with the plan_? Lissa asked in exasperation. _I am not kidding when I say that Dimitri is probably ten shades of jealous right now_.

I raised my head and allowed myself to see through Lissa's eyes.

She was sitting beside Christian with his arms around her. Dimitri was sitting across from her, but he was looking in my direction. His face was a thundercloud, and from what I could see of his aura…it was ringed in green. Definitely jealous. He quickly composed his face when he noticed me – I mean Lissa – looking at him.

I allowed myself to feel a sense of satisfaction as Liam kept rubbing my shoulders. My plan had definitely succeeded.

Dimitri abruptly stood up. "I'm going to make a patrol of the house now."

Tasha looked up at him in confusion. "I thought you already made a round-"

"Better to be safe than sorry," Dimitri said to her, and I felt a nostalgic pang at his Zen wisdom. I used to complain so much during our lessons in the gym about it. The nostalgic feelings vanish when I saw him look over at Liam with a hint of jealousy in his face.

I smirked to myself. You don't even know what you're in for next.

* * *

Mwahaha...Rose's revenge on Dimitri :D Reviews/ideas would be nice too :D


	5. Shopping Expedition

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Vampire Academy.

* * *

Ch. 5 Shopping Expedition

On our third day at Tasha's, Lissa practically demanded to go to a mall for Christmas shopping.

"Let's go to the mall and buy presents!" she exclaimed.

"Are you fucking serious?" Christian groaned from where he sat playing video games with Adrian and Dash. "I don't want to go shopping!"

"I actually agree with Fire Boy," Adrian seconded as he leaned to the left with his controller.

"Anything is better than going shopping," Christian continued.

"Even a day at the spa?" Liam teased. I laughed and he gently stroked my cheek with his fingertips.

"Well…fine. Anything is better than shopping or a day at the spa," Christian amended.

Lissa looked like she wanted to spit fire. "CHRISTIAN, ARE YOU SAYING YOU DON'T WANT TO SPEND TIME WITH ME?"

"N-no, that's not what I meant!" Christian protested, dropping his controller and running over to Lissa.

Lissa turned away from him and crossed her arms. Her mood told me that she really was a bit mad that Christian didn't want to spend time with her and would do anything but shop. If it was up to her, she would spend most of the day shopping.

"Liss, I'll come with you and shop, okay?" Christian asked her in a soft voice. He softly kissed her on the mouth.

Although Lissa was still a teeny bit mad, she couldn't help but respond to his kiss. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him back, and I could tell she was trying to pull him on top of her.

"Lissa, EW!" I complained, blocking her mind from mine. "Could you at least save the rated R things for when you're alone?"

For the past two nights, sometimes I had to sleep in Eddie's room because Lissa and Christian wanted some…private time. In our room. Bleh. Luckily, there were twin beds in that room too, so I didn't have to sleep on the floor. As for Adrian, Liam, and Dash, Adrian slept in his own bed (in a room all to himself, that lucky asshole). Liam and Dash decided to wing it on an air mattress and one of the couches.

"Sorry," Lissa said, breaking away from Christian and blushing.

"When do you propose going?" Tasha asked, looking up from where she'd been flipping through a magazine.

"Today!" Lissa said happily.

Tasha looked up at the clock. "Well it is a little early in the evening-I mean morning…what about going after lunchtime?"

"The sooner the better," Dimitri said. I felt a pang in my chest when he spoke.

"Why, Guardian Belikov?" Dash asked as he turned to look in Dimitri's direction.

"When the sun goes down, it makes it easier for Strigoi to attack and take victims," Dimitri explained. "And also, I've heard news about a Strigoi attack not far from here."

The Moroi gasped. The rest of us guardians had heard about it, but we didn't tell them. "Was anyone killed?" Tasha asked, looking concerned.

"No, but it definitely raised the alarm," Liam put in. I snuggled closer to Liam, and he wrapped his arm around me and smiled down at me.

I couldn't tell him the real reason why I was flirting back with him so much, although he was probably smart enough to guess. I did manage to tell him that my ex-lover was here. He instantly figured out who it was, but was too courteous to say his real name. If he knew my real reasons, he was too much of a gentleman to say and just flirted with me.

Dimitri's eyes tightened when he saw me cuddling into Liam. "You…you're with Liam?"

I smiled coolly at him as Liam wrapped his arms around me tighter and stroked my cheek. Suddenly I had the perfect idea of what to say to him – it was basically repeating something he'd once said to me last winter at the ski resort. "What happens between me and Liam is none of your business, Guardian Belikov."

Dimitri had a poker face expression as he regarded us. "You were once my student, Guardian Hathaway, and of course some things are still my business."

"Yeah, well, I'm an adult now," I shot back. "And you haven't been my teacher for an extremely long time."

Dimitri opened his mouth to retort but Tasha stared him down from across the room. I've seen her stare at someone with those ice blue eyes, and it's _beyond_ creepy. But it's an effective way of getting someone to shut up. "_Enough_, Dimka."

She turned back to Lissa and said, "Yes, let's go shopping after lunch. I'll cook." She got up and headed for the kitchen.

The guys (all except for Dimitri and Liam) continued playing video games. Mario Kart. This just goes to prove even guys who are supposed to be adults aren't that more mature than your average teenager guy.

When I looked up, Dimitri was sitting in an armchair, studiously reading one of those Western novels he adored reading so much. I couldn't help but feel my heart ache even more as I watched him.

He looked up at me, and our eyes met.

In that moment, there was no anger or jealousy between us. Just the two of us looking at each other, like when we'd first fallen in love with each other. It felt like the world had become still, and everything was perfect.

His eyes…they were dark endless pools of sadness. I wished I could go to him and comfort him, and make him stop looking so sad.

Someone coughed, and I was brought back to reality. I didn't love Dimitri anymore. Even if I still had feelings for him…it wouldn't be perfect.

"Yo, Communist Guy, why didn't you do something to deter Tasha from taking us all out for shopping?" Adrian asked from where he was sitting on the floor.

Dimitri glared at the back of his head. "First of all, Russia isn't communist anymore. Secondly, it's Guardian Belikov. And third, it's her choices, not mine. I'm just her guardian, not her boyfriend."

"You weren't her boyfriend? My bad, I thought that was why you decided to stop guarding Lissa," Adrian shot back.

The rest of us were staring in shock. I knew Dimitri wasn't dating Tasha, but for Adrian to be so blunt about it…that wasn't like him.

"My personal business is none of your business," Dimitri said crisply, his voice turning a bit cold.

I was a little surprised at how often Dimitri kept showing his emotions now. Back at the Academy, he rarely showed his emotions. Now it was my turn to feel jealous. What was it about Tasha that allowed him to let down his barriers and be so open about his emotions? He'd always been careful to keep control when he was around me.

* * *

After eating lunch, we headed off for the closest mall, which was about half an hour away.

"We need to get moving _way_ before sunset," Liam warned as I got into the driver's seat. I was going to be the driver for once, so yay for me. Everyone was going in the van, so we needed to squash up to make room. Dimitri and Tasha were coming with us. Liam was sitting next to me, but Adrian, Lissa, and Christian needed to squash together in the middle to make room for Dimitri, Tasha, and Dash in the back.

"Everyone okay back there?" I shouted as I revved the engine and started to back up.

"I'm getting flattened in the middle, but besides that, everything's great!" Lissa grumbled.

"_We're_ the ones squeezing to make room for you, Your Excellency," Adrian complained. Everyone (except for Liam) started squabbling and complaining, and from what I heard, started shoving and pushing each other.

"SHUT UP EVERYONE!" I yelled at the top of my lungs as I sped my way through a yellow light. Everyone instantaneously shut up at once.

"If you don't stop acting like a bunch of five years old, I'm turning the car around and going home," I continued.

"Please do," Christian muttered. I heard Lissa smack him, and he yelped. "Ow! Never mind, I take it back!"

We arrived at the mall, and I pulled up as close to Macy's as possible. We all filed out, and I checked my phone.

"Alright everyone. We only have about four hours at most to shop, so stick with each other and we'll meet back here."

I went off with Lissa and we headed off to Macy's. Since I was now a guardian, I got a paycheck every month and had plenty of money for my own uses. "So, what are you getting me?" I asked Lissa casually as we browsed through the shoes.

Lissa laughed, and scooped up her blond hair before letting it fall through her fingers. I noticed more than a few human guys checking us out, and one of them in particular was following my every move. "None of your business, even if you can read my mind."

"Okay, okay," I said. "But I can't just leave you alone since it's dangerous for you to be alone away from Court."

"Well, duh," Lissa said as she picked up a pair of red heels and examined their price tag. "I wonder if Tasha would like these."

"Why don't you get heels for Christian?" I teased.

"No way! He'd look bad in them," Lissa said, giggling as she put them back down. "Come on, let's move to a different shop."

We moved on to stores like Forever 21, Ann Taylor, Charlotte Russe. I got a cute white lacy blouse and some cute dark brown winter boots for her but lied and said it was for Jill. I also got myself some skinny jeans and a somewhat sexy black lacy tank top that hugged my curves very tightly.

"Dimitri would have a heart attack if he saw you," Lissa mused as we walked out of Charlotte Russe with my bags in hand. She was already carrying loads of bags herself, gifts for Christian, Adrian, and Dash.

I chose to ignore that statement. "Come on, let's go to Bath and Body Works. Maybe I could get perfume for you and Tasha."

"Go get some cologne for Liam," she teased as we walked in.

I tilted my head at her as she sprayed on Forever Sunshine. "You don't really think I like him, right?"

Lissa brought her wrist to her face and sniffed, but she wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Too strong. And no, of course not. But you keep flirting with him so much. What do you plan on next? Going on a date with Liam just to make him jealous?"

My lips curved up in a slow smile. "That's an excellent idea, Liss."

"Forget I said anything!" she exclaimed, moving down to another fragrance called Jasmine Vanilla.

I finally got Verbena Waters for Tasha, and Carried Away lotion, body wash, and shampoo for Lissa. We headed down the mall, and I passed a bookstore.

It occurred to me I could probably get Dimitri something from here. With a sigh, I heaved my way into the bookstore and Lissa followed me.

I asked for the location of the Western novels, and the clerk gave me a strange look but she led me over anyway. I browsed the shelves carefully for about fifteen minutes until I found what I was looking for. _The Virginian: a horseman of the plains_. My heart ached as I looked at it. I remembered teasing Dimitri once about how he'd read every single Western in the world, but he'd mentioned he'd never read that particular one.

I purchased that book after requesting a gift wrap and walked out.

"You know, you put a lot more consideration into his present than for anyone else," Lissa murmured as we continued walking around the mall and brought presents for the people we'd missed.

I sighed, but made no reply.

_It proves you _do_ care about him_, she added a few minutes later as we re-entered Macy's. _Don't deny it_.

I couldn't make any replies, and I acted normal as we greeted everyone else at Macy's. I purposely didn't make eye contact with Dimitri, but I wondered what he'd gotten me, if he'd gotten me a present at all. Then I forced myself to stop thinking about it. The sun was still out, but it was low in the sky, bathing everything in a warm glow.

"That was just torture," Liam complained as he set down his bags with a huge sigh. He looked over at us and did a double take. "What did you do, buy out half the mall?"

"If only I had the money," I said, rolling my eyes.

"I'll get the van and drive it over," he said.

"It's right outside the entrance," I said, handing over the keys. He was probably trying to be chivalrous so we didn't have to walk so far.

He was back in about two minutes. "I don't think we're going to have room in the back…" he said, eyeing everyone's huge piles of bags.

"I don't want to be squashed again!" Adrian groaned as he put some of his bags in the back.

"Everyone get in, that's the maximum capacity of the trunk," Liam said, slamming it closed.

"Not again," Adrian sighed.

"I call the front!" I shouted, running into the shotgun seat with my bags.

"This is just great," Christian muttered. "It's going to be _so_ much fun going home."

* * *

Sort of a filler chapter...don't worry I'll try to make the next chapter a little more interesting.


	6. Comfort and Love Confessions

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Vampire Academy.

* * *

Ch. 6 Comfort and Love Confessions

By the time I arrived at Tasha's, Lissa had dozed off on Christian's shoulder. I looked at them, feeling sad. He was looking down at her with a look of love and adoration.

"It's time to wake up, Liss," he murmured to her, nudging her gently.

She opened her big jade green eyes and smiled up at him as they got out of the car.

We collected our bags and entered the house but I excused myself to my room and no one came after me. I could hear Tasha moving around in the kitchen, no doubt getting ready to cook our dinner.

I slammed the door behind me and threw myself on the bed, letting myself be caught up in a wave of misery and heartbreak.

I felt incredibly jealous of Lissa. Not that she was dating him, but because she had someone who genuinely loved and cared about her. She was in a steady relationship and she never had to worry about him leaving her for someone else and having her heart broken beyond repair.

I put up a front…but the truth is, I'm not getting better.

I still hurt over him, even though he isn't romantically involved with Tasha and _claims_ that he loves me. It doesn't change the fact that he left me for Tasha, even if he wasn't romantically interested. Besides, for someone who claimed to love me, he wasn't acting like it.

My flirtation with Liam was nothing serious. He liked flirting with me, but he wasn't seriously interested in me as a long-term relationship. That was fine with me, since I was just flirting in the hopes of making a certain someone jealous. And Adrian…he genuinely loved me, but I couldn't make myself return his feelings. I couldn't even like him a little bit. Not when I still hurt over _him_.

A tear fell down my cheek. I hadn't allowed myself to cry after the day Dimitri left me. The single tear suddenly turned into a flood of tears and I allowed myself to mope and feel the feelings I'd always locked up inside of me.

Why did he have to leave me? After the cabin and the attack, I thought our life would finally be perfect. He'd even told me that he was planning to be reassigned to someone else after graduation so that we would at least have a chance of being together. After we'd made love, everything had been golden and beautiful for a little bit.

And then he ruined my life by leaving me for Tasha.

There was a knock on the door. "Rose…can I come in?"

"Go away!" I shouted, wiping my eyes quickly and sitting up. I wouldn't ever let Dimitri see me cry. Not in a billion years.

There was silence from outside. "Please, Roza…"

"Fine!" I groaned, springing off the bed and storming to the door. "If you'll go away after-"

My voice died in my throat as I stared at what was in his hands. A mug of hot chocolate with whipped cream on top and a plate of chocolate chip cookies. The cookies smelled fresh from the oven.

I stared up at him, feeling stunned. Even after a year and half later, he still remembered what my favorite comfort foods were. "You looked sort of unhappy…so I thought this might help," he said, holding out the mug and plate to me. He then sat down beside me.

I took them, and sipped on the hot chocolate. It tasted absolutely delicious, and I wondered if he had made this himself. Dark chocolate, my favorite as he knew.

"Thanks," I said without looking up at him. I was afraid if I made direct eye contact with him while we were so close – and alone – I would start bawling like a baby.

"No problem," he said quietly. For once, there wasn't anger and tension lingering in the air between us. Why couldn't it be like this every time we were around each other? Calm and peaceful.

"Roza…" he said hesitantly. My heart fluttered a little at his use of my old nickname, and he gently reached out to touch my cheek. I didn't push him away, but closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of his touch against my skin before he pulled away. "When you first arrived, I asked Vasilisa if you were alright…"

I kept sipping my hot chocolate. "I'm fine." I kept my tone light and neutral, but I doubted I was fooling Dimitri. There was look of regret and misery in his eyes.

"Oh…"

A few moments passed and I finished off the food he'd given me. "Thanks," I said without looking at him as he took the cup and plate.

"It's not a big deal," he said a bit flatly, shrugging. "I'm going to go now."

"Bye," I said softly as I lifted my head and watched him go.

As the door shut behind him, part of me whispered, I still care about you. Can't you see that?

Dimitri POV

As I went back downstairs, I couldn't help but think of my Roza. She looked so sad and upset when I found her upstairs, even though she claimed she was fine. She always pretended to be fine and happy when in reality she wasn't fine.

She probably hates me now, I thought bitterly as I entered the kitchen. I went outside for a walk, breathing in the night air and patrolling at the same time.

Why did I have to lie to her when I left her? Would things between us be less tense if I'd only told her the truth? I paced around the backyard in agitation, hating myself for what I did.

I didn't leave her because of Tasha. I left her so she wouldn't focus on me so much. I was becoming a distraction to her. I remember during the Strigoi attack on the school, when she saw me, she would get worried about my safety. In return, I would worry about her. And her distracting me was an understatement. I was constantly putting Rose at risk this way if she worried about me. She wouldn't be able to concentrate on protecting herself and killing Strigoi if she worried about me.

And to say she was distracting me was an understatement. I thought of her every day, every minute, and every second. If a Strigoi had attacked Vasilisa, I wouldn't have thrown myself between them and her to save her. I would've thrown myself in front of Roza to protect her, and even die for her if it was necessary.

And that went against everything we'd been taught in elementary school. _They come first_. We have to give up everything, even our life, for the Moroi. We're not allowed to be selfish and think only of ourselves.

I'm sure if the rest of the guardians had known why I'd really left, they would've applauded my actions. They would've said I shouldn't be in love with a student and the best thing to do would be to switch assignments which was what I did.

I _never_ stopped loving Roza. I thought about her every day after I left her, and wondered how she was doing. I still love her very much, and although she doesn't love me, I will do anything to make her fall for me again.

An unexpected complication is that Liam! Were they really going out with each other? Or was Rose just flirting with him because of her charms and beauty? Or was it…because she was trying to get a rise out of me?

My thoughts were broken into when Vasilisa appeared at the door. "Dimitri, may I speak with you?"

"Yes, of course, Princess," I said formally, surprised she had dropped my title.

We sat down on one of the stone benches in the garden. It was quiet for a moment, and I noticed Vasilisa looking down at her shoes very studiously and she seemed a little nervous. "What did you want to speak to me about, Princess?"

"I…well….You still truly love Rose, right?" she began.

"I would do anything to gain back her love," I whispered. "Anything. I would die for her, even if she doesn't love me anymore."

Lissa hesitated, and closed her eyes for a moment. I watched her curiously.

"It's to keep her out of my head," she explained, and I nodded in understanding. "I'm sure Rose would be _pissed_ and deny it if she knew I was telling you this…but she still loves you."

"She sure has a way of showing it," I muttered. If she really still loved me, she wouldn't act like this.

"I know. She refuses to tell me that she loves you, or at least that she cares about you. When I look at her when she's around you….her aura is as bright as the sun. Yours, too."

"What does that have anything to do with me?"

"Auras don't lie. I talked to Adrian about this-"

"_Adrian_? He hates me for what I did! And to be honest, I can't blame him," I said bitterly.

"Yes, but he does want Rose to be happy! As I was saying, when two people are deeply in love with each other, their auras will reflect it. What people say can be lies, but no one can change their aura or lie with it. Both of your auras reflect you still love each other. Rose's aura also reflects…sadness. And heartbreak."

"Why won't she tell me if she still loves me?" I asked, looking down. "I already told her I love her!"

"She's still hurting. You need to give her time," Vasilisa said, and sighed. "I guess I'm basically telling you this because I want you guys to be together again. I didn't believe you when you first came to me, but now I do."

"So…are you saying you'll help us?" I asked, my spirits lifting a little.

"Yes, but I can't force her to do anything," she warned me. "And you can't force anything on her either, or I take back my support of you guys getting together."

"Thank you, Princess," I whispered.

Vasilisa nodded and stood up gracefully. "I'll do my best, but no guarantees. Let's go back inside."

Rose POV

After dinner, everyone wanted to go to a bar. Except for me, Eddie, and Dimitri apparently.

"Are you fucking serious?" I groaned, getting up and flopping down on one of the couches in the living room. "I don't have the energy to go to one!"

Lissa pouted and downed her water. "But I want to have some alcohol."

"That's a terrible idea," Eddie protested. "You're all going to be hung over and trash-"

"I have some right now," Tasha said, bringing out five bottles of alcohol from a hidden cabinet and putting them on the counter. Uh oh.

Adrian immediately poured himself a glass of what appeared to be Russian vodka and downed it in a gulp.

"You didn't even wait for us to make a toast," Dash complained as he also poured himself a glass of Russian vodka.

"Too late," Adrian said cheerily as he reached for the bottle of champagne.

"I hope you're ready to have your house trashed," Eddie muttered to Tasha.

"Well…it's safer than going out to the Butterfly Hour right now," she said, shrugging but looking a little uncomfortable.

Three and half hours later, everyone except for me, Eddie, and Dimitri were drunk. Even Tasha was a bit tipsy and kept giggling about how everything was pink.

"This is why you never let anyone here have alcohol," Eddie said, surveying the drunk group.

Lissa was kissing Christian very drunkenly and trying to take off his shirt but he was too busy kissing her back to cooperate – thank God. I had to carefully shield her out of my head because alcohol caused a buzz through the bond, and I didn't want to be in her head while she was drunk. Adrian was trying to sing "Friday" by Rebecca Black (UGH, couldn't he have picked another song?). Dash was sleeping with drool coming out of his mouth. Liam had taken off his shirt and was dancing around the living room. I couldn't help but stare a little at him. He was pretty ripped, with that bronze skin and abs…

"We need to put everyone to bed," Dimitri said, "in comfortable places."

It was left to me, Eddie, and Dimitri to move everyone. We moved Adrian back to his room, and put Liam and Dash in what was usually Christian's and Eddie's room. Lissa and Christian were put in my room, and Tasha was put back in her own room.

"Rose, do you want to have the air mattress?" Eddie offered.

"Nah, it's alright, you take it," I said. 'The couches are pretty comfy."

"Okay, good night." He went into Adrian's room and shut the door behind him, leaving me alone with Dimitri.

"This should be interesting," Dimitri murmured softly into my ear.

I glared at him and smacked his arm. "Don't think you can make moves on me, Communist Guy."

"Wow. Taking Adrian's nickname for me, huh?" he asked sarcastically. "How original."

"Shut up….Borscht Guy," I said. Ugh, I couldn't use Comrade, which was a damn shame. It had been one of my better nicknames.

Dimitri arched an eyebrow at me. "Borscht? Talk about really unoriginal now."

"Okay, Joseph Stalin," I retorted although he probably looked way better than that old fascist dictator.

Dimitri actually laughed aloud. He handed me some pillows and blankets. "Too bad these aren't pull out beds."

We turned out the lights and got onto our makeshift beds. I stirred restlessly in mine, unable to sleep. Mainly because for the first time in a long time, I was sleeping close to Dimitri.

I heard him turn over restlessly too and then I heard the creak of the couch springs. I caught a slight hint of his aftershave, and it smelled so good. "Rose, are you awake?"

"What? I'm trying to get some sleep here, fascist," I grumbled, sitting up so I could see him. The moon shone through the curtains, and I could make out his profile.

He didn't acknowledge my insult. "I know you don't believe me…but I really do still love you, Roza. My feelings for you have never changed."

Sadness and heartbreak washed over me. "But if it never changed, why did you leave me?" I whispered softly.

Dimitri turned his head away, and when he spoke, it was with a sad, heavy voice. "It's a long story. But I promise you, it doesn't involve Tasha."

I heard him move closer so he was sitting right next to me. I breathed in his scent, and savored how close he was to me before turning around to meet his gaze. He tentatively reached out and wound a lock of my hair around his finger.

"Your hair is still so beautiful," he whispered. He hesitantly held his hand out to me, and I took it. I felt so warm and wonderful all over just at his touch.

"I didn't know it was still possible to feel like this," I murmured, half to myself.

"How?" Dimitri asked.

"To feel so warm and wonderful…like I'm completed, just by your touch," I admitted. I had a feeling I would regret this tomorrow but I didn't care at the moment.

Dimitri let go of my hair and tilted up my head, and our eyes met. "And your eyes…I feel like I could swim forever in them," he whispered.

I felt like that whenever I looked into his eyes too.

"And I feel complete whenever I'm with you, Roza," he murmured softly, kissing my forehead.

"If you did…then why did you have to leave me?" I asked, my voice breaking on my last words.

"It's a long story, but it doesn't involve Tasha. Please don't cry," he whispered, reaching out as a tear fell down my cheek. He wiped the tear away and kissed my cheek.

"How can I not cry?" I asked sadly. "When you left me…I was a wreck. I never showed it to anyone, not even Lissa, but I was broken. I wasn't sure how I would be able to function once you left."

"And now?" he asked.

"I feel like…it never happened. It's like you never left me."

"I'll do anything to get you back with me. Anything," he whispered, hugging me close against him. It felt so good to be wrapped in his arms, and I felt so safe and protected while I was close to him.

"Dimitri…"

"Please don't think about the past," he begged. "I messed up, but I'm asking you to come back to me."

"I can't," I whispered, shaking my head. "I can't do it, Dimitri."

"Why?" he asked, and the sorrow in his voice was enough to break my own heart. "If you return my feelings…"

"I can't just go back to you," I whispered.

"I love you, Roza," he whispered, pulling back so he could look at me. "Now and always, I will always love you. It's never been anyone else."

I couldn't respond. I knew I loved him, and I always would for the rest of my life. He was my soulmate, my one true love, the one who was perfectly in synch with me. We were so perfectly connected sometimes I didn't know where I ended and he began. I would go to the ends of the earth for him if he asked me to.

My mind was screaming at me to say I loved him back, but I forced it down. His confession had just made things more complicated for us. I couldn't just accept him, even though I was still single. I couldn't just let Dimitri back into my life. If he couldn't tell me why he'd left me…what did this mean for our future?

I probably shouldn't have done this, but I looked up at Dimitri and met his eyes. He was as patient as always "I love you too," I whispered.

"That's what I wanted to hear," he whispered, and he kissed me like he'd kissed me before before. It was a hot, passionate kiss, full of the passion, desire, and love we couldn't hold back. His tongue moved against my mouth and I opened my mouth and kissed him back. He let his free hand go up to the back of my tank top while he kept his free hand firmly around my waist.

I didn't resist him like I had last time. I pulled him closer to me, and I could feel him getting hard in a certain area as we kissed. We kept kissing and kissing, and soon I could feel him pushing me down onto the couch. I felt him tug at my tank top.

"No, Dimitri," I whispered, and he kissed me more gently and playfully now. His kisses were light, like feathers.

After a few minutes, we stopped kissing and just looked at each other. He kissed my cheek one last time before he stood up and moved back to the other couch.

"Good night, my Roza," he whispered to me.

"Good night, Comrade."

I drifted off into the most peaceful sleep I'd had for more than a year.

* * *

So now Rose and Dimitri both know about their feelings for each other...but it's still not going to be any easier for them just because they confessed to each other...


	7. Mistake

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Vampire Academy.

Note: See the author's note below!

* * *

Ch. 7 Mistake

I woke up to hear someone faintly yelling something from upstairs. I sat up, looking around. It didn't feel like anything was wrong, but you never knew.

I checked my cell phone. It was around 9 in the morning or so. I looked over at Dimitri on the other couch. He was still peacefully sound asleep. Memories of last night flashed through my head and I sighed. It didn't mean anything for _us_, though, even though it meant a great deal to me.

The yelling stopped, and I was puzzled. My phone let out a faint beep on the table and I made a dive for it.

I nearly knocked the white phone off the table before catching it. Phew. That had cost me almost six months' salary and I'd hate to replace it before I'd even had it for a year. I looked down at the screen. 1 message from Liam.

I have a horrible headache. H20 please?

Coming, I texted back and quickly shook Dimitri's shoulder. "Comrade, wake up." As soon as I said that I hated myself. I'd accidentally called him by my old nickname for him.

_I'm so hung over_, Lissa said to me through the bond. I opened myself to her, and winced. Her headache was horrible. _I need medication. Or water_.

Dimitri opened his dark eyes. "W-what?"

"I think everyone's in need of water," I said dryly to him. "Wake up Eddie so we can get everyone water."

He hurried to find Eddie as I rushed to the kitchen and pulled out six glasses. Eddie and Dimitri appeared and poured water into the glasses. I hurried up to give water to Liam and Dash.

"Thanks," Liam croaked as he downed the water in one gulp. Dash looked a lot better than him, but he kept complaining about his monster headache.

"No problem," I said to Liam as I took back the glass. "I'll be back with medication."

I went downstairs and saw Eddie looking through the cabinets. "Any luck on medication?"

"Not even a tablet," he said, shaking his head. "I'm going to take the Civic and drive over to Walgreens." This was directed at Dimitri, who nodded.

"Hurry back though." Eddie took the keys and was out the door in a flash.

I went back up to tell Liam medication would be coming soon. He groaned and flopped back over.

I went back downstairs and saw Dimitri sitting on the couch. "Everyone's really hung over," I reported.

"I know. Adrian seems to be the worst off," Dimitri replied, shaking his head. "You need to keep alcohol away from him."

"He'll always get his hands on a little more alcohol," I said a little ruefully, shaking my head. "Helps him numb spirit."

"It's not a healthy way," Dimitri said darkly as someone knocked on the door. He got up and opened the door.

"That was fast," I said as Eddie came in with two boxes of Tylenol.

"I sped into town. Luckily, the Walgreens was only a five minute drive from here," he said, putting the boxes on the counter and opening them. "Who's the least hung over?"

"Tasha," Dimitri said as he took one of the boxes and started distributing them on tissues.

"I'll take care of everyone upstairs," Eddie said, grabbing some of the tablets. "This might take awhile, so expect ten minutes." He was gone, and I took a tablet to Adrian before coming back out.

"Are we going to talk about last night?" Dimitri asked, keeping his velvet voice soft as he sat down next to me.

"No," I said brusquely. Part of me ached all over to talk about it.

"Why not?" he asked insistently.

"Last night was a moment of weakness. Maybe of temporary insanity," I said flatly, keeping my eyes on the floor. Not looking at Dimitri made it somewhat easier to be harsh in my words, but not really. It was killing a part of me to lie to him and say these words.

"If it was a moment of temporary insanity, why did you kiss me back?"

"Maybe because you forced it on me," I growled, getting away from him. Lessening the space between us didn't help matters.

"I would never force you to kiss me if you didn't want it. You know I would _never_ make you do anything that you didn't want to do," he said fiercely. "You said you loved me, so that's why I kissed you. And you kissed me back."

I was silent for a moment. He was right. I had kissed him back, despite my harsh words. And I'd told him I loved him…

"And what about the first time you kissed me, huh?" I asked, deciding to change the topic. "You kissed me without my consent."

"And yet, you kissed me back that time too," he reminded me. My cheeks flamed red with shame. "You didn't push me away or kick me until later."

"It was only so I wouldn't cause a scene."

"There wasn't anyone in the house, Roza. Stop lying to yourself. Last night, you told me you loved me."

"We're _not_ talking about last night!" I almost yelled. I heard footsteps above me and remembered to keep my voice down. "Nothing happened between us, and I'm determined to keep it that way." I should've listened to my instincts telling me that I would regret last night. I sort of didn't regret, but now Dimitri would want to talk about it. _That_ is the reason I now regret last night.

"If we're going to have a-"

"Last night was nothing but a mistake. It just brought back old feelings that are long gone," I said harshly.

I flashed back to the night after we rescued Lissa from Victor, remembering he'd said that what happened between us because of the lust charm was a mistake. I was echoing his words again. The hideous irony was that _I_ was now the one saying it was a mistake instead of him.

Dimitri stared at me in shock. "A…a mistake?" he asked after a long moment of silence.

"Yes. I just gave in to feelings that were from a long time ago," I said, hating myself for the lie. It wasn't true. I'd kissed him because I still cared about and loved him. What I wouldn't do to spend a day just with him…

Dimitri was silent. "You think everything that's happened between us ever since I left you is a mistake?" he asked, his voice low, not giving away what he was truly feeling on the inside.

"I…well…it's not that I regret kissing you," I said, tripping over my words as I spoke. "It's just…it's…there's no use in bringing back feelings from the past. They don't matter anymore."

"Feelings from the past?" Dimitri repeated, still looking at me in shock. "How could you say that? With the love we once shared…and you still love me."

"Even if I did still love you…it doesn't change anything. Nothing is the same now. We've both changed after you left me."

"Why doesn't it change anything?" Dimitri asked, sorrow in his eyes.

"It doesn't change that you left me to guard Tasha, regardless of whether you loved her or not. And even if we could have a relationship, how would we manage? You can't leave Tasha unprotected just because you want to be with me, Dimitri. It also doesn't change that you probably just used me for sex that night," I said bitterly.

"I didn't use you for sex," Dimitri said furiously, his eyes full of anger…and passion now. "That night was one of the best nights of my life, Roza."

I stared at him in shock. That certainly changed my outlook on our previous relationship, but it didn't mean that we could now have an actual relationship. "And have you forgotten how much everyone – Moroi and dhampirs alike –condemn relationships between guardians?"

"No one else's opinion matters. As long as we're together, then everything will be alright," Dimitri said softly, walking closer to me and taking hold of my hand.

I looked down at the floor. Even more irony – he was saying the things I thought back when we were still together at the Academy and thought everything would be alright.

I took a deep breath. "Dimitri…it's time to let go of the feelings from the past and just move on with our lives now. Pretend that nothing ever happened between us. It would be best for both of us."

As I spoke those words, it felt like I'd just shot an arrow through my own heart. I felt like I'd broken my own heart into a million little pieces that would never be pieced back together again.

I didn't want him to pretend nothing had happened. I wanted him to always remember me in his heart. And I would be deluding myself if I said that I didn't want to be in a relationship with him. I wanted to be with him and stay by his side forever.

"Move…move on?" Dimitri repeated, looking even more stunned...and heartbroken. "How am I supposed to move on when I still love you so much, Roza? I told you last night – I'll do anything to get you to come back with me."

I shook my head, a tear tracing down my cheek. "It's too late, Dimitri. Forget everything that happened between us. Last night was just a mistake out of many."

With that, I let go of his hand and ran to the bathroom as the tears began to fall.

* * *

**Author's note**: Hey everyone! This is going to be the last chapter I'm going to put up for awhile. I'm going to be busy packing in the next couple of days because I'm travelling for the next 2 weeks, so I won't have internet access (or the time to write...or even a laptop to write on). But I promise I'll start writing again once I come back from my trip! So have a good 2 weeks while I'm away everyone :)

And please keep reviewing so I know if anyone's actually still reading this :D That's all for now!


	8. Letting Go

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Vampire Academy.

Note: Last chapter for the next 2 weeks!

* * *

Ch. 8 Letting Go

I don't know how long I was in the bathroom, wallowing in my heartbreak and crying. It could've been a minute. Maybe an hour. I don't know how much time passed while I was lost in my misery. I didn't want to think of anything else except how miserable I was and how I wanted to curl up in a ball and die.

I heard someone knock on the door. _Rose, it's me. Let me in_.

I got up and splashed water on my face. I looked at my reflection in the mirror very blearily. God, I looked awful. My eyes were red-rimmed, with tears still streaming down, and my cheeks were pale.

I opened the door to let Lissa in, and she quickly stepped in and locked the door behind her. She looked a lot better now, her cheeks faintly pink and her green eyes bright.

"Rose…what happened when I was drunk upstairs?" she asked. "You've been in here for at least two hours."

"Nothing, really," I said, trying to keep my tone casual. I didn't want to worry her. It was my job to look out for and protect her.

"Dim-I mean, he looks like a mess! He looks terrible. What really happened?" Lissa asked, her voice full of concern.

That did it, and I started sobbing all over again. She patted my back as I told her (in between sobs and sniffling) about how we'd confessed our feelings for each other last night, and how this morning I'd told Dimitri we couldn't be together again and how it would be best if we forgot about each other.

Lissa was silent for several minutes, patting my back as I cried. "Rose…if you still love him so much, why can't you be with him? You can't just forget someone that you loved – especially if that someone is your true love."

"It's not as easy as it sounds," I said, heaving a big breath. "Just because we love each other doesn't mean we can just magically get back together and pretend he never left me. Nothing will change the fact that he left me and broke my heart."

"It's not even worth a try?" Lissa asked.

"No. If I let myself succumb to my feelings again, I'm just giving him an opening to hurt me. I'm done letting Dimitri hurt me. It's time to put the past in the past, where it belongs."

Lissa let go of me and studied my face intently. I reached out through the bond and I was suddenly looking at my own face, which was really weird. It was different from my reflection in the mirror, and I understood I was seeing myself as she saw me. I could feel her concentration and suddenly a shimmer of different colors appeared around me. It must be my aura, but it was ringed in red – a sure sign that I was upset.

"It's going to be awhile before you heal…if you heal at all," Lissa said at last. She shook her head sadly. "I really hate to see this – you and him being in love with each other, but you're unwilling to get back with him."

"Believe me, we're both better off this way," I said. "He has Tasha to comfort him, after all. And I can focus more on being the best guardian, and maybe even flirting with Liam."

"Don't lie to me," Lissa said softly. "You might be lying to yourself, but I know you better than that. I don't need spirit to tell me if you're upset. You don't feel like you'll ever be okay again. But…if this is what you feel is best for you…"

"It is," I said firmly, taking a tissue and blowing my nose loudly.

"Well…if you say so," she said reluctantly. She brushed her fingers across my eyes, and I felt a warm golden feeling course through both of us.

I spun around and looked at my reflection in the mirror. I didn't look like I'd been crying at all.

"Thanks," I said, getting up from the floor and heading towards the door.

"Anytime," she murmured faintly as she followed me out.

* * *

The days that passed by afterward were a blur – until Christmas. I ignored Dimitri as much as I could, and if he did speak to me, I made sure to sound like nothing was wrong between us.

I knew everyone else except Lissa had guessed something had occurred between me and Dimitri. He acted very professional towards me, as he had when we were still at St. Vlad's and didn't let on if he was hurt.

When I was straightening my room the night before Christmas, Tasha knocked on my door and asked to come in.

"I just wanted to ask…are you alright?" she asked, her blue eyes regarding me with concern. "I know something happened….but I won't press for details."

Regardless of what Dimitri had told me of his friendship with her, I was still jealous of Tasha. I wondered what would happen now between them. He'd probably get into bed with her, and then soon I'd be the one hearing her sighs and moans from across the hall.

I stood and gave her a cool smile. "I'm fine, thanks for asking."

"Oh…it's just…it's just that he seems really miserable right now…" Tasha said hesitantly after a few moments.

My heart twisted at her words. It proved no matter what I did, I still cared. And now, he was in pain because of _me_.

I summoned up my best poker face. "Well, that's his problem, not mine. Maybe if he hadn't acted the way he did, he wouldn't be in this situation."

Tasha's blue eyes were round with hurt for him. "If that's how you feel…" She left the room quietly afterwards.

I sighed and slammed down my pillow as hard as I could. That definitely isn't how I feel…

* * *

The next morning was Christmas. I got a nice surprise wake-up call.

Lissa yelled into my ear and scared the hell out of me. "Merry Christmas! Hurry up and get up so we can open presents!"

I cracked open an eye and looked at my alarm clock. 8:20 in the morning. "Liss, what did I say about waking up before 9 while we're on vacation?"

"But I want to open presents!" Lissa shouted. "And I want to see what I got from you!"

"Well I want to see what I got, but can't it wait for one more hour?" I protested, covering my face with the pillow.

"No!"

"Fine," I groaned, pulling myself out of my comfortable bed and stretching. I yawned immensely.

"Stop yawning and hurry up!" Lissa said, dragging me down the stairs.

Adrian, Liam, and Dash were the only ones near the tree, and they all looked relatively tired. "W-where's everyone e-else?" I yawned.

"Still sleeping," Liam offered, yawning. "You know, that's really contagious."

"How'd you get up so early? Liss dragged me out of bed."

Liam shrugged. "Couldn't sleep a whole lot last night."

"Waiting for Santa Claus?" I teased.

He winked at me and laughed. "I think we're a little too old for Santa, Hathaway."

"Lancaster, I'm only two years younger than you," I said.

To my surprise, he stepped closer and took my hand in his. I looked at him in shock but made no comment. "That's not much of a difference," he murmured, and sniffed my hair.

"Does it smell bad?"

"It's intoxicating," he murmured back, which kind of warmed me.

Adrian and Dash looked a tad uncomfortable and excused themselves to the kitchen.

Lissa looked very grumpy and sighed. "I'm going to wake everyone else up-"

"Already awake!" Eddie called from down the hall. "I'm going to wake Dimitri and Tasha."

Christian called to Lissa and asked her to come into his (and Eddie's) room. They shut the door behind them, and I heard a giggle from Lissa. Uh oh.

Liam tilted my face up so that he could look me in the eyes. Standing so close to him, I saw that his dark blue eyes had different flecks of blue in them, like a kaleidoscope. He really was quite gorgeous.

"I've waited awhile to be alone with you," he whispered a bit sexily.

I smiled up at him. "Finally got your chance?"

"Yes. And…I just wanted to say…even though I don't think we can have a true romantic future together, I want to spend a little time with you. Not as your boyfriend, if that's not what you want," he said sincerely.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," I said, smiling and squeezing his hand. "Let's get to know each other a little better."

"Maybe…as a temporary couple," he suggested. "Then after New Years', we'll just go back to normal friends. We're not going to do anything serious unless you want me to."

"Sounds good to me," I said.

Even though Liam wasn't interested in having a long-term relationship (at least with me), he had all the makings of a great boyfriend: sweet, caring, funny, suave, and brave. And he also made it clear from the start that we wouldn't be together forever. That was a courtesy any man should give to a woman if he didn't plan on being with her forever.

Besides, going out (temporarily) with a guy like Liam would probably help me heal faster. Having him pay attention to me would definitely make me feel at least a little better.

Liam leaned down and kissed my lips.

It wasn't like the passionate, earth-shattering one I'd shared with Dimitri the night we'd confessed our feelings for each other. It was a soft, friendly kiss.

I pulled him a little closer to me as we kissed, and I heard gasps from the doorway.

We let go of each other and spun around to see who had gasped.

Eddie, Dimitri, and Tasha were staring at us in absolute shock. "You…you guys are going out?" Tasha asked, her blue eyes wide in shock.

Liam gave me a warning look, and answered, "Yes, we are. And I won't be a coward and hide my feelings for my Rose." There was little doubt who he was directing these words to.

And Dimitri…he was looking at me with sorrow, pain, betrayal, and heartbreak. The look on his face…_How could you do this to me?_ his eyes seemed to be asking me.

For a moment, I faltered, but I hardened my resolve. It was long past time to move on. That night had been a mistake, and now, it was time to just think of the future.

"Excuse me," Dimitri said, hurrying in the direction of the kitchen.

* * *

We opened our presents after breakfast.

So far, I got Amor Amor perfume from Adrian (the same perfume he'd given me when we'd met two Christmases ago at the ski lodge), cute sandals from Lissa, jeans from Christian, gift cards from Dash and Tasha, and a pearl bracelet from Liam.

I took the last box from under the tree. There was a tag – from Dimitri.

I wonder what he got me, I thought as I unwrapped the box. Probably a box of tissues or-

"Lip gloss!" I exclaimed, holding up the box to show everyone. Five different flavors too. I remembered how I'd always complained about not having enough lip gloss, and how after I'd injured my ankle, he'd given me lip gloss as a gift.

Adrian looked between me and him, jealousy clear in his eyes. "Since when is lip gloss suddenly so important?" I ignored him.

"There's more," Dimitri said, a hint of sadness in his voice.

I took out the lip gloss and widened my eyes. It had been hiding another box.

I lifted the tissue paper off and saw that it was a jewelry box. Shrugging, I opened the box and gasped. A beautiful ruby rose necklace glittered up at me from among the tissue paper.

Normally, I _hated_ rose stuff. Lissa constantly got rose things for me when she got a chance because of my name. My full name was Rosemarie, which was even worse. But in this case…

"It's beautiful," I murmured, holding it up so the ruby caught the light. Dimitri came over to me. He caught hold of my hands and fastened the necklace on for me before he stepped away.

It was an intricately made rose, made of ruby with some silver parts running through it. The rose hung from a delicate silver chain that wrapped close to my throat.

I smiled a little sadly at Dimitri. "Thank you. It's a beautiful gift."

He nodded and smiled faintly. "I do like your gift, too. I can't believe you still remembered, after all that time."

With that, we'd finished opening our presents.

"We should go out to the Butterfly Hour tonight," Tasha lightly suggested, twisting her hands together. "Dinner will be cheaper, since there'll be lots of people there."

* * *

Everyone had a little too much champagne after dinner. Except for Eddie and Dimitri. Good to know that there was someone who would be able to drive us home tonight.

"Let's dance!" Lissa said, her cheeks rosy from drinking a bit too much. Luckily, this was nothing like the other night when everyone had gotten extremely drunk.

"Let's not," Christian groaned.

Liam was the least incapacitated out of everyone who'd drunk champagne. "Come on, let's go home and party it up a little."

It was with a lot of effort that we managed to get everyone and head out to the van and Tasha's Civic. After loading everyone into the van, Eddie took the wheel and drove us back to Tasha's house.

Lissa wanted to sleep in Christian's room, so Eddie decided to sleep in the living room. He also said it would be easier to alert everyone if there was a Strigoi attack.

Liam followed me up to my room. We shut the door, and he flipped on the light.

"Merry Christmas," he whispered, and kissed my lips. My lips tingled from the champagne left on his lips.

I'd drunk enough champagne that now I wanted more than just kissing with Liam. I still could reason and think, instead of being completely drunk and wasted.

We continued kissing, and soon I pulled him on top of me on my bed. I pulled him, kissing him a bit more forcefully than I had this morning, catching him by surprise.

My hands were tugging at Liam's shirt before I'd completed the thought. He started unbuttoning my shirt and taking off my shorts without stopping or hesitating. I then took off his shirt.

I was sure I'd never wanted to make love again with anyone after Dimitri. But now, I wanted it extremely badly. Maybe I was starting to fall for Liam after all. Maybe despite his words, he was starting to fall a little bit in love with me. Or maybe it was a mix of a bit too much champagne and lust.

He pulled back a little from me as his hands trailed down my shoulders and along my bra straps, and I could see the question in his eyes.

"Are you sure?" he asked me. "We only decided this today…"

"Yes," I told him, pulling him back to me for a hot kiss.

He then yanked off his jeans, tossing them to the ground as he continued to kiss me. He ran a finger across my underwear, making me gasp.

Soon, I lay under him naked, but he still had his boxers on. He sighed in contention as I ran my fingers across his ripped chest and kissed it.

"You're the most beautiful girl I've ever met, Rose," he murmured, pulling me closer and kissing me much more passionately than this morning.

I couldn't help but return the kiss, our tongues wrestling for control. He stroked my breast before switching to the other, and I gasped at his touch as he continued kissing me. It felt so good, to have him caressing my neck, the area in between my breasts…

I heard the door open but I ignored it, continuing to kiss Liam as his hands continued roaming over my body. I heard an intake of breath and lifted my head.

I gasped. It was Dimitri.

He was staring at us in shock, but he was apparently speechless after his gasp.

I remembered belatedly that I was completely naked, and almost might've blushed. From the look on Dimitri's face, he was definitely looking at me. Studying my face, my body. There was admiration and a bit of longing in his eyes.

I had a feeling of déjà vu all over again. When I was still at the Academy, he'd walked in on me fooling around with Jesse Zeklos in one of the empty lounges in my dorm. He'd kicked Jesse out, but before lecturing me, he'd definitely been checking me out. Of course, that time I hadn't been completely naked like I was now…

When he saw me staring back at him, he composed his face. "Just what are you doing here?" he demanded, his Russian accent becoming more pronounced as he spoke.

"Making love to my girlfriend," Liam retorted, getting off me and scooting in front of me so he was guarding me from Dimitri's gaze. I didn't have the heart to tell him Dimitri had seen me before.

"You're guests at someone else's home. Do you think we want you to do this type of thing in our home?" Dimitri asked icily.

Liam muttered some extremely rude words, and yanked the blanket off from the other bed to wrap around me. "Fine. I didn't you could be so upright about this type of stuff, Belikov. I'll take Rose somewhere else for more privacy."

"You can't just abandon the Dragomir princess because of selfish desires!" Dimitri hissed at him.

"We're planning on staying somewhere in the house, right darling?" Liam asked, gently stroking my cheek as he looked into my eyes.

I smiled up at him. "Of course, Liam."

"Why don't you two just get a room?" Dimitri muttered in disgust, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared at us.

"We definitely are planning on that, thanks for the idea," I said mock cheerily, kissing Liam.

"That suggestion wasn't meant to be taken literally," Dimitri groaned, throwing his hands up into the air. He backed out of the room. "Fine, do whatever you want." He slammed the door behind him as hard as he could to punctuate his remark.

I wrapped the blanket around myself tighter although he was gone. I'd been looking forward to me and Liam getting it on tonight, but now the mood was spoiled.

Liam gently kissed my cheek. "We didn't do it tonight, but it's alright. Besides, I'm not sure if making love to you while you're slightly drunk is a good idea."

"I'm…not too drunk," I protested, kissing him.

He laughed, but picked up my clothes from the floor and put them on the bed. "Time for bed, little girl."

I smiled at him before I put on my clothes and got back into my own bed and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Author's note**: Haha I know that I said the last chapter I posted would be the last one for the next 2 weeks because of my vacation...but since I finished my packing, I had some free time and decided to just write this chapter. Hope you enjoy and will have a nice 2 weeks while I'm gone :)


	9. Attack

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Vampire Academy.

* * *

Ch. 9 Attack

I woke up in the middle of the night to hear screaming from downstairs. I sprang out of bed with my silver stake in hand. I could feel a familiar sense of nausea spreading through me, and it kept getting worse as I inched towards the door. "Strigoi!" I hissed.

Liam instantly jumped out of his bed too, stake in hand. "We have to protect them!"

"Them" was the Moroi. That was our duty – to protect the Moroi at all times.

We both raced down the stairs, and I could hear the sounds of fighting from the living room.

The Moroi were standing close to the back of the living room, with Tasha and Christian standing in front of them. Their hands glowed with fire. Lissa looked terrified but uninjured.

Dimitri, Dash, and Eddie were trying to battle seven Strigoi all at once, and not succeeding. Eddie was trying to fight off two at once, but even he couldn't be everywhere.

I didn't hesitate after the initial assessment. I jumped into the fray, and instantly ran my stake through a male Strigoi. He didn't even see me coming, although Strigoi have far superior senses compared to even Moroi. He froze, and fell to the ground. I yanked out my stake and spun around.

I locked eyes with Dimitri and I could almost immediately understand what he wanted us to do, as I had in the past. He wanted us to head for the Moroi so we could protect them and fight off the Strigoi. I gave him a nod and we instantly stood protectively in front of the Strigoi.

A brunette Strigoi was glaring at me, his lips curling over his fangs. If he hadn't been chalk-white pale, and didn't have the red eyes and fangs of a Strigoi, I would've said he was hot.

"I know who you are," he snarled at me.

I glared back at him. "Like hell you do." I flashed out my stake, making sure to keep a good distance between us.

"You're the famous Rose Hathaway. And your mentor Belikov killed my girlfriend!"

I was taken aback by this piece of news but now feinted. From the corner of my eye, I could see that Dimitri looked a little surprised too. The Strigoi avoided me, and sneered. "Natalie Dashkov."

She never had a boyfriend! I thought as I leaned forward and slashed his cheek with my stake. He let out a roar of rage and swiped at me, but I dodged his hands.

"She kept me a secret for her own reasons," the Strigoi said. "After I heard of her death, I had to avenge her by following her path and awaken myself!"

Awaken was the term used by the Strigoi when they turned someone into a Strigoi or killed someone through feeding to become one themselves. I guess they use that because Strigoi don't need to sleep anymore. They make it sound like it's the greatest experience in the world, like a religious experience or something.

I now saw an opening and lunged but the Strigoi laughed and backhanded me. I flew across the room and hit one of the couches.

"Roza!" Dimitri shouted.

I got to my knees, wincing, but my head really hurt and my nausea got even worse. I gasped when I saw three more Strigoi enter the room, and my heart sank. Great, Strigoi back-up. I saw the brunette Strigoi advancing towards me, a sneer on his face.

I felt someone grab my hair and I screamed as a Strigoi jerked me to my feet. Believe me, having your hair pulled as hard as possible is not fun.

I flailed out with my legs and my arms, keeping a tight hold on the stake. I struck out as hard as I could with my stake, and I heard a scream of agony. I pushed in the stake further and the Strigoi's hold loosened as he slumped to the floor.

I yanked out my stake and hurried back to Dimitri's side.

"Fire," I murmured in a low undertone so only Christian and Tasha could hear. We kept forgetting that the Moroi had amazing elemental magic, and could use it in battle against the Strigoi.

They nodded, and then two of the Strigoi suddenly lit up like the Fourth of July.

They screamed, trying to get rid of the fire, but their distraction gave Eddie and Dash the chance to stake them.

I was back in front of the Moroi, flanked by Dimitri as the Strigoi advanced towards us. Christian and Tasha were frantically setting the Strigoi on fire, but although more went down, the last ones remaining were giving Eddie, Liam, and Dash a really hard time.

The brunette who'd spoken to me earlier advanced towards me and Dimitri. We tensed, ready to attack.

Christian was too exhausted to use more of his fire power. Tasha held her hand out and the Strigoi collapsed, on fire, but then I heard her gasp out, "That's all I have left."

Dimitri moved in for the kill, but the Strigoi quickly put himself out, laughing hysterically. His laughter sent chills up my spine. "That was nothing, you foolish mortals," he sneered at us. "I will take my revenge on Miss Hathaway for Natalie's death."

"What did she ever do?" Dimitri growled as he lunged at the Strigoi, stake pointed. The Strigoi gracefully avoided the point of the stake, laughing again.

"It's true _she_ had nothing to do with my Natalie's fate…but _you_ did, Belikov." His voice was full of venom as he spoke. "Therefore…if you took away my love from me, then I will exact my revenge on you the same way!"

A sharp shard of glass suddenly flashed in his hand. I had _not_ seen that coming. Most Strigoi didn't need weapons, since they were powerful and deadly fast enough without them. This wasn't a good sign.

With a growl he turned away from Dimitri and towards Lissa, the shard held high, pointed directly at her heart. "Die!" he hissed. Lissa screamed.

Without thinking, I jumped in front of Lissa to protect her. _They come first_. I saw the grim anticipation in his eyes, and I realized that it had been a trick.

He lunged at me and slashed the shard across one of the veins in my neck before I knew what had happened. I screamed, and tried to push him away from me. I could feel warm liquid dripping down my neck, and I winced as pain spread out from my neck.

He took the shard out of my neck, and I screamed again. It was the worst pain in the world. He then plunged it into my stomach and I let out an ear-splitting scream. White-hot pain seared through my entire body, and it took every ounce of strength I had to keep from collapsing to the floor and fainting. My stake clattered out of my hands and hit the floor.

"This is what your precious mentor did to my Natalie," he hissed. "But it was less painful for her. This is my revenge on Belikov."

He pushed the glass shard in harder, and I almost passed out. It felt like he was breaking everything in my stomach. He slashed upwards, and I felt like I was going to pass out from the pain. I don't know how I managed to stand.

Dimitri, I thought faintly.

Suddenly the pain stopped.

I was dimly aware that the Strigoi's body was being pulled away from me by a blond girl. There were several cuts on her cheek and arms, but there was a grim look in her pale green eyes.

I swayed on the spot for a moment. Pain burned through my stomach and my neck. It was even worse than when I'd died in the car accident. I then collapsed onto the floor.

A dark red pool spread out from around me, soaking into the hardwood floor. I was surprised that it kept getting bigger and bigger as I watched.

What is it? I wondered dimly, my eyes starting to flutter shut. Why is there so much liquid...

"Roza," I heard a guy's voice. I would've known that voice anywhere. "Please, please. Don't die on me! Don't leave me here without you!"

I managed to keep my eyes from closing all the way, but with a huge effort that made me feel even more tired.

"Please, don't close your eyes! Keep fighting!"

I saw him hovering above me, his eyes full of concern and pain. He was reaching out to cradle me in his arms, despite the red liquid pouring out from me.

It's _my_ blood, I realized now through my stupor. How was it possible that I had so much blood in me?

I don't think I have much longer to live now. I was losing more and more blood, and my wounds...

"Stay with me Roza!" he begged. "Don't leave me…"

I'm trying, I wanted to say, but I couldn't talk. I wanted to just close my eyes and sleep.

The pain was starting to ease. A feeling of ice spread through me, and I realized now I couldn't feel anything. There wasn't any pain. I was now blissfully numb to anything.

"Lissa! Help her!" he screamed.

I felt someone - was it Lissa? - come over to me, and place her hands on either side of my face. She pulled away a few seconds later, and I heard her crying. "I can't do it. Her injuries…."

"Try!" Dimitri begged. "Please don't let her die!"

"She's my best friend," I heard Lissa whisper. "I'll try my best."

"Call the hospital now!" I heard another woman scream from far away.

My vision was starting to blur from darkness. I closed my eyes briefly and opened them again.

"Don't close your eyes," Dimitri urged. "Stay awake."

I love you, Dimitri, I thought. It was requiring too much of an effort to keep my eyes open. I wasn't sure how much more time I had left. He looked down at me, tears streaming down his face.

I now realized, as he looked down at me with tears in his eyes, that he really was the only one I'd ever loved. I'd wasted my last days, trying to make Dimitri feel bad for what he did to me, and be with Liam the previous night. Why hadn't I been able to just accept him? Now it was too late, and I was dying now.

"I love you, Roza," I heard him whisper to me. He kissed my forehead, keeping me in his arms.

I tried to reach out to him but I didn't have the strength. I could see Lissa's face join his in my dim vision. I thought I could make out blurred faces around the edge of my vision. They looked dark and menacing.

"I love you too," I whispered, summoning my last scraps of energy to speak, looking into his eyes. "Take care of yourself." I wanted to just succumb to the darkness that was waiting for me. I just wanted to close my eyes and sleep. Sleep forever…My only regrets would be that I had wasted my remaining days with him, and that I was leaving behind the two people I loved most in this world.

"You're not going to die on me, Roza!" he said, cradling me closer to him. "No, no, no..."

"I'll always love you," I whispered, finally closing my eyes and surrendering to the darkness.

* * *

**Author's note**: Dundun...poor Rose and Dimitri D:

Finally back from my trip! It might take a few days before I can start writing daily chapters (wrote this before I left haha) since I'm still unpacking and stuff.


	10. Waking Up

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Vampire Academy.

* * *

Ch. 10 Waking Up

Dimitri POV

I sat by Rose's bed and took her hand, putting it against my cheek. Her long dark hair was spread across the white sheets, and her normally healthy glowing skin had faded to a pale color. The color had faded out of her lips, and her breathing was very quiet and shallow.

She was still hooked up to lots of tubes and machines from the Strigoi attack the morning after Christmas. It had been three days, and she was still in a very heavy coma from the severe injuries that had been inflicted on her.

The doctors had said although she was mostly out of danger, there was a possibility she could die from her injuries. When they'd left, Lissa had come in to heal her. She said it had been very hard and strenuous, but she'd healed some of the life-threatening injuries. Still, it would be left up to Rose to heal herself because Lissa hadn't been able to heal everything.

Her skin still felt very cold. I gently moved my hand so it rested over her heart. And her heartbeat felt very slow, compared to mine. I was scared, just listening to how slow her heartbeat was.

Looking at her, I felt pain wash through me. It was _my_ fault that the Strigoi had come after her, as revenge for Natalie Dashkov. It was my fault that Rose had been so badly injured and was still so close to death. But that time…if I hadn't killed Natalie, Rose would've died. I'd had no choice.

I sighed, and brushed my hand against her cheek.

I didn't deserve to have Rose. Someone so beautiful, passionate, and willing to stand up for those she loved and what she believed in. I'd made the biggest mistake of my life to turn my back on her and leave her to guard Tasha. The even worse mistake was that I'd _lied_ to her about why I'd left.

My heart had ached so much seeing her with Liam. And that night when I'd walked in on them…my heart ached even more at the thought. But when she looked at me right before she'd lost consciousness, I could see her love for me in her eyes. She had always loved me, and always would.

Now it was probably too late for us. Even if she did wake up…would she ever want me again? I had to tell her the _real_ reason I'd left her. It wouldn't guarantee anything between us, but it was a start. I owed her at least that.

I looked down at her, tears brimming in my eyes again. I hated to see her so pale and still. If it hadn't been for her shallow breathing, I would've thought she was-

No, I scolded myself. Stop thinking so negatively like that. She _will_ wake up soon. And when she does, I'll stay by her side as long as she'll have me there.

I closed my eyes, and waited.

Rose POV

I dreamed that I was floating on a very puffy white cloud in the sky. The sun shone down around me, and I felt very warm. Flowers bloomed around me, and I could see nothing but fluffy clouds in the distant blue sky.

My dream changed, and I fell. I screamed as I fell, but I landed on the ground. I looked around. Now I was in a cold gray mist, with lots of other people around me. There was no sunshine at all, especially compared to earlier. We were standing on a grassy plain, and the wind was blowing hard. Suddenly, the mist vanished, but now it was nighttime, with a full moon in the sky. Or it _looked_ like nighttime anyway.

I looked around myself. Where am I? Am I dead?

I looked at one of my neighbors – a small girl – and gasped. She was transparent and see-through, and she floated off the ground. She _had_ to be a ghost.

I don't want to be dead, I thought as a tear trailed down my cheek. I didn't want to leave behind the people I loved. Especially Lissa, my best friend…the last Dragomir princess who I was sworn to protect. And Dimitri…my one true love, despite everything I'd said to him and the lies I'd told myself.

"It's not your time yet," I heard a soft voice say.

I turned around and saw a beautiful woman approach me. She had pale gold hair that blew lightly in the wind. She was very familiar…

I gulped as I recognized her. "Rhea?"

This was Lissa's mother. She'd died in the car accident four years ago with Lissa's father and brother. This meant that I had to be dead.

She gave me a sad smile. "Hello, Rose. It's not your time to die yet. You are not dead yet. Return to the living. Watch over my daughter for me…and tell her that we all love her very much."

The mist returned, and I couldn't see anything now. I was left by myself now. I sat down and waited.

I opened my eyes. Everything was a little blurry around me, but gradually came back into focus. I coughed, and pain shot through me. God. I still felt like I was in pain. Was I dead after all?

I looked around and took in my unfamiliar surroundings. Nope, not dead.

I felt something in my lap and looked down. I gasped quietly.

It was Dimitri, sleeping on my blankets. Although he was asleep, he still had a fierce and protective air around him. He also looked very tired and stressed, which surprised me.

The full realization of how I'd treated him and how much of a bitch I'd been washed over me as I looked down at him. Why had I treated him like that? I asked myself. My actions, which I'd thought were justified at the time, were just…bitchy. Putting it mildly of course.

I hesitantly reached out and stroked his hand softly.

His eyes flew open and he sat up. "You're awake," he whispered, looking at me in awe.

I tried to stretch but flinched as pain shot through me. "Ouch!"

He lunged for the door, but I managed to grab his arm in time before he brought down a whole fleet of doctors and nurses on me. "No, it's nothing! I just…stretched. It kind of hurts." More like really, really hurt, I added mentally.

He relaxed, but I realized I was touching him, and blushed. I was technically supposed to be with Liam… I let go of his arm, and he sat back down next to me.

"How long have I been here?" I asked.

Dimitri shrugged, looking at his hands. "Three and half days."

"_What_?" I gasped. I'd been clinging to life for the past three and half days? It seemed impossible that so much time had passed.

"You fell into a coma after you were attacked," he said sadly. "Do you remember anything?"

I tried to think back, but my memory was a bit hazy. "A little. I remember that brunette Strigoi…"

"He took out his anger at me on you," Dimitri whispered, his voice heavy with pain. I hated to see him like that. "In a way, it's my fault you were so close to death."

"Blame it on the stupid Strigoi," I muttered. "And his obsession for getting revenge for Natalie. Who killed him in the end, anyway?"

"Lissa," Dimitri said quietly. "He was going to torture you more with the glass, but Lissa took your stake and staked him. And, she was here earlier but had to go back to Tasha's to rest."

"Lissa?" I asked, in disbelief. My best friend? I couldn't imagine sweet, delicate Lissa being able to kill a Strigoi at all, let alone on her own.

"Yes. I helped her out…but together, we managed to kill him," Dimitri said quietly. "We took the bodies out and the sun incinerated them."

"Was anyone else hurt?" I asked, amazed at myself for being able to talk rationally like I'd never been hurt. Then a pain passed through my stomach, and I winced. Still, it wasn't nearly as bad as during the attack...

"Just some minor cuts and scrapes. You were the worst injured."

"Why couldn't Lissa have healed all of it?" I sounded petulant, but seriously, the pain was killing me. But then, I remembered encouraging Lissa to use more of her spirit powers was going to bring back her darkness more easily…I guessed it was just as well she couldn't heal everything.

"She tried. But the injuries were very life-threatening, so it was hard for her," Dimitri explained. "She's been healing you in short bursts when the doctors aren't here. Adrian tried…but healing isn't his strength in spirit."

At this point, there was a light knock on the door and Dimitri got up with a sigh. "That's probably…Liam."

It was a struggle for him but he managed to say the name without too much emotion on his face. He gave me a sad smile, and whispered, "Get well soon, Roza."

Liam entered the room as Dimitri left. His blue eyes had some shadows under them, and his hair was messed up. "Hello, Rose."

"Lancaster. You look like you've seen better days," I said to him a little tiredly.

Liam sat down next to me, and sighed. "I don't think our fake relationship can continue anymore, or even the flirtations."

I just looked at him. I didn't feel shocked or upset, just a little curious. "Why so?"

"You're obviously still in love with Belikov," Liam said, running a hand through his hair and trying to straighten up. "And if you'd seen the way he was always by your bedside every day you were here…"

"He was here every day?" Warmth shot through me. He'd been watching me every day I was in my coma?

"Yes…and I realize everything now. You shouldn't be with me at all if you still truly love him." I opened my mouth to argue but he held his hand up. "No, listen. I know he hurt you – in however way he did. But shouldn't Belikov watching over you and trying to apologize for his mistake at least indicate that he's very sorry for his mistake?"

"I guess," I sighed. Liam was right…in a way. Now after my close encounter with death, I saw how much of a bitch I'd been acting. But this didn't mean I could run back to Dimitri and we would live a fairytale ending together for the rest of our lives. We still had some issues to work out. A _lot_ of issues.

Liam squeezed my hand. "So what I'm saying is…just think about giving him a chance at least. We weren't meant to last, but I think you and him could at least stand a chance of being together forever. Just think about it, alright?"

"Okay," I agreed.

"And I'm sure Lissa would say the same thing," he added.

I frowned. "Why would she agree?"

"You'll see," Liam said mysteriously, patting my hand and getting up.

* * *

The doctors ran some tests on me the rest of the day. They said I'd be free to go home after one more night in the hospital. Great. I'd be getting out the day before New Year's Eve.

"We're extending our stay at Tasha's for a bit," Lissa said as she straightened up the area around my bed. She'd come in to heal some of my still aching wounds away. I felt so much better now. "We were supposed to leave on the second…but now we pushed it back to the fifth, so you can recover."

"I could go home right now," I argued back.

"Nope, you're not in any condition to go anywhere," Lissa said firmly, arranging my blankets now and fixing me with her green eyes.

She paused for a moment, seemingly hesitant. _There's something I need to tell you_.

"What?" I grumbled.

She looked around, but remembered she was talking to me through the bond. _Look…don't yell or anything, okay? I went to Dimitri a little before Christmas, and told him of some of the things I was noticing due to your auras_.

Uh oh, I thought. Aloud, I asked warily, "What did you tell him?"

Lissa sighed. _I told him…that I could see both your auras reflected that you were still in love with each other. Your auras are also in synch, but I don't know what that means exactly_._ Maybe that you guys are soulmates? That you're meant for each other? I don't know._

I was speechless after her words. My aura still reflected my feelings? Ugh...

_Look…I'm sure Liam said the same thing to you…but could you at least hear him out? I'm not saying you have to take him back – although I think it'd be better in the long run for both of you – but at least hear him out. He hasn't told me, obviously. See what he has to say about when he left you, okay?_ Lissa asked me, hope radiating to me through the bond.

"I'll try, but I don't make any promises," I said dryly, brushing a lock of my hair out of my face. "Although…I am kind of curious about what he has to say."

Lissa smiled wryly before hugging me softly. _That's all I can ask from you_.


	11. Our Talk

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Vampire Academy.

* * *

Ch. 11 Our Talk

Finally, I could go home – er back to Tasha's, I mean. I had had enough of being stuck in the hospital wearing those horrible hospital gowns.

I was still a little weak, despite my rapid recovery, and tried leaning on Lissa as I exited my hospital room.

She staggered from my weight, and groaned. I was putting almost half of my weight on her to walk, and she wasn't used to it. "Too – heavy!"

"I have this, Princess," I heard Dimitri's voice. To my surprise, he swept me off my feet and was carrying me very casually in his arms.

I couldn't help but lean my head lightly against his chest. "Thanks," I murmured.

"No problem," Dimitri murmured back.

I probably wasn't very light to carry, but Dimitri carried me very easily like I weighed a few pounds. He carried me out the door (with some people gaping at us) and to the minivan.

Only Christian and Eddie were there. "Dash and Liam had to stay home to guard Tasha and Adrian," Lissa explained as she opened the door and Dimitri tucked me into the seat.

We were back at Tasha's within ten minutes, and Dimitri helped me out of the car and into the house.

Everyone in the house greeted us, and Liam asked to have a private word with me. I agreed. As we went into Adrian's room, I looked over my shoulder to see Dimitri regarding me with a look of…wistfulness. There was a lingering sadness in his eyes.

"I really meant what I said yesterday," Liam said quietly, pacing around the room as I sat on Adrian's very messy bed. "Our…fake relationship's going to end now. I want you to patch things up with Dimitri, or at least to listen to him."

"Alright," I acquiesced with a sigh. I did promise Liss the same thing, after all…

"But we'll still stay friends," he added with a slight grin, giving me a friendly hug.

I returned the hug and smiled as he let go. "Of course, since we're both Lissa's guardians."

"That would be bad if we weren't friends," he finished, laughing. He opened the door, and I walked out, feeling free.

I walked over to Dimitri. Everyone in the house was just chilling and relaxing at the moment, with Tasha preparing the next meal.

I whispered to him, "I need to speak with you now."

He looked up at me, and nodded. I was aware of Adrian's eyes lingering on us. He had to be wondering why I now spoke with Dimitri.

I looked at Lissa, and she said, _I'll make sure no one comes upstairs and disturbs you two. Go to our room_.

I saw Adrian open his mouth to say something, but Lissa whispered something to him while nodding in my direction. I could've slipped into her mind to see what she was saying, but I had more important matters at the moment.

We went up the stairs, but I felt a bit woozy after getting to the top. I wasn't 100% cured yet.

Dimitri let me lean on him the whole way to the room I shared with Lissa, and I sat on the bed while he stood in front of me, leaning against the wall.

"Rose…are you sure you want to talk now?" he asked me, somewhat anxiously.

"Yes, I'm very sure," I said firmly. I couldn't wait any longer. I had to find out what had driven Dimitri to leave me to guard Tasha.

Dimitri paced before me for what felt like a long time. When he finally spoke, his voice was very soft.

"I didn't tell you the truth when I left you at the Academy," he began.

That's an understatement, I thought, but held my tongue, which was usually very difficult for me. I couldn't ruin this now. Finally, I was discovering what had driven Dimitri to make the choice to leave me – something I had wondered about for the past year and a half after he'd left.

"I have told you this several times… I was not, and am not, romantically interested in Tasha. I didn't leave you for her. It's true she did – and still does – have feelings for me, but they never played a part in my leaving you." He sighed and closed his eyes.

"Then…why did you leave me, and lie about it?" I managed to venture. I was still hurt by his choice to leave me….but him lying about it made it even worse.

There was a pause for a moment and he spoke again. "On the night of the Strigoi attack…although you were fighting very well after you warned the other guardians, in the few times I caught a glimpse of you, you were trying to look around for _me_. Making sure that I was okay, and hadn't been taken by the Strigoi. Knowing that I was becoming a distraction to you, and preventing you from fighting at full level…I decided to leave. You know that all guardians must be perfectly focused especially in combat, or we would all die very quickly."

I did remember the Strigoi attack. And I clearly remembered how sometimes, while I was still fighting, I would look for Dimitri. When I caught a glimpse of him, I felt a huge sense of relief that he was still there, still fighting.

And Dimitri was right. We guardians couldn't allow anything that would distract us or cause us to slip up. We needed to be focused all the time, to ensure the safety of the Moroi. The idea of protecting the Moroi at all costs had been drilled into novices since we were young. _They come first_.

"But why couldn't you have told me this?" I asked as confusion swept over me. "You could've said something, before you walked out of my life…for what I thought was forever."

Dimitri's eyes were full of sadness. "I don't know. And I wish I had told you the truth at least …And I left so I wouldn't put your life in danger. If you were trying to look out for me in battle…what if something happened to you?"

I was stunned. He'd left me…to protect me? Admittedly, there was a type of twisted logic behind that. If he left, then I wouldn't be thinking about him and letting him distract me…

I kept my conflicting emotions off my face. "Then why did you choose to lie to me about why you left?"

"I lied, because it would be easier than telling you the truth," Dimitri said sadly. "You would've stopped me from leaving, and I'm pretty sure I would've stayed. It was so hard for me to be away from you, and to never hear how you were doing."

"Christian visited all the time," I pointed out.

"Yes, but did you really think he was going to offer up details about his girlfriend's best friend? Especially when I was the source of your heartache," Dimitri said, a trace of bitterness lingering in his voice.

I sighed. He did have a point, and I'd pointedly told Lissa I didn't want to hear anything about Dimitri and Tasha. "That last night we spent together…" I began, but trailed off, biting my lip.

Dimitri took my hands and gazed into my eyes. I couldn't find any resistance in me to pull away from him. My skin felt warm from his touch, and it felt like my blood was burning in my veins.

"I _never_ used you for sex," he said, voice and eyes intense. I felt like his eyes were gazing straight into my very soul. That was one of the best nights of my life, Roza. Finally giving in to our love physically…"

I might've blushed if I was the type who did, but I didn't. "If you still loved me…why couldn't you have said something? Anything, before you left?"

"There was another reason I left you," Dimitri admitted, starting to let go of my hands, but I wouldn't let go of him.

"Tell me," I whispered.

"I had also hoped…that if I left you, you would find someone who was truly worthy of your love," he whispered.

I stared at him in shock. Dimitri, the sexy Russian god, thought _he_ was _unworthy_ of my love? Surely, I had to be dreaming. He always seemed so cool and confident of himself. "You…what?"

"It was my hope you would be able to move on from me, and find someone else," Dimitri explained. "Perhaps...maybe find a Moroi who would love you for everything you are…and maybe even allow you to have a family."

I felt a dull pain in my chest. Dhampir infertility was a huge issue. Dhampirs could only give birth to dhampirs with Moroi. And often, it was dhampir women who had babies with Moroi men – but the men often left to have pureblood Moroi babies with Moroi women. Because Dimitri and I were both dhampirs, we would never be able to raise a family together.

Then the full meaning of his words truly sank in. "What? You left me so I could find someone…_better_ than you?" I asked, my voice cracking a little. As if that was possible! And even if there was someone better than Dimitri…my entire heart and soul belonged only to him, and no one else. There was no one else for me.

"Yes," Dimitri confirmed. "I knew you'd always wanted to have a family…and I couldn't give you that…"

I was staring at him in stunned silence. "You are seriously very dumb sometimes, Dimitri Belikov," I said, and leaned up to kiss him. He held me close, and kissed me back.

It was a very soft gentle kiss, and fleetingly lasted for only a few seconds. I wished it'd lasted a little longer. I could feel Dimitri's reluctance as he pulled away from me. I felt colder without his warmth.

"Every day that I spent without you was misery," Dimitri whispered. "It felt like so many years had passed before I saw you again. I can't exactly blame you for being so angry at me."

"Wouldn't you be angry if I'd given you a lame excuse about why I left?" I asked him.

"That's true," he admitted ruefully, running a hand through his silky brown hair. "I was so miserable without you that I had to confess to Tasha. She was the one who gave us alone that first time-"

I gaped. "When they all went out to the gardens? She was already encouraging us to get back together?"

He nodded.

"Whoa." Understatement of the century. She'd tried to make a move on him two Decembers ago, and now she'd encouraged Dimitri to get back with me? Something I _never_ would've imagined happening.

"If it hadn't been for my duty to Tasha…I actually might've curled up into a ball of misery and just let my dark feelings overtake me," Dimitri said with a sigh. "I had no idea what you were doing, no idea if you'd decided to move on from me and find another guy who would love you…"

That seemed extremely uncharacteristic of Dimitri…but this proved, once and for all, that his love was truly only to _me_. He had never loved anyone else except for me, and neither time nor distance had changed that.

"I was equally miserable when you left." I said quietly, "if not even more than you. In the week that you left, I was…a mess. A huge mess of fucked up emotions."

It all came out, everything I'd hid for the past year and half of our separation. I told him how every day, I missed him so much it felt like my heart was empty. I tried to hide my heartbreak from Lissa, but even though she couldn't read my mind the way I could hers, she knew I was unhappy, with the uncanny sixth sense of a best friend. Sometimes at night, I would just curl up into a ball and cry my misery out, but I would take care not to show I wasn't okay the next morning.

"I didn't want to believe you when you said you loved me," I admitted, "because I was scared I would be hurt again. I didn't want to let myself love you, even though I'd been keeping these feelings to myself and sitting on them. If you told me that you were kidding at the end…it would hurt even more than the first time you'd left."

Dimitri was silent for a moment, and he hugged me close to him. I could feel his steady heartbeat as he held me.

"I'm so sorry, Roza. No words will ever be able to make up for all the hurt I've caused you," Dimitri whispered, kissing the top of my head.

"No, there aren't," I agreed. "But I forgive you anyway. Still…I want to think a little before we get into a relationship again."

"Take all the time you need," Dimitri murmured, kissing my cheek. "I'll be waiting, Roza."

I hugged him one more time, and left the room.


	12. My Decision

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Vampire Academy.

* * *

Ch. 12 My Decision

I walked by downstairs, and Lissa looked up from the book she'd been reading. Christian's arms were lightly around her shoulder, but he looked like he'd dozed off. _Everything okay?_

I nodded, but I couldn't say much more since everyone in the room seemed to have stopped what they were doing to look up.

_Tell me later_, she added. When _it's bedtime maybe, without everyone trying to listen in on us_.

I nodded again, and sat down on one of the couches. Unfortunately, I'd taken a seat next to Adrian, and he did _not_ look happy.

"What was going on with you and Belikov upstairs?" he asked in a low voice, taking care to make sure no one else heard his question.

Normally, I would've punched anyone else in the face for asking something so private – with the exception of Lissa – but this was Adrian. He'd comforted me after Dimitri had left me, and had been staunchly against me having contact with him.

"Dimitri told me the real reason he'd left me," I answered, also keeping my voice down.

Adrian looked extremely surprised. "Really? And now what are you going to do?"

"I told him I need to think about it for awhile before I consider getting back into a relationship with him," I said without thinking. It was a mistake.

"What?" Adrian almost yelled. Everyone looked up from what they were doing and stared.

"Dude, what's wrong?" Dash asked.

"Nothing," Adrian muttered, looking at the ground. "It is nothing."

Everyone went back to their things with some glances at him.

Adrian leaned down to my ear and whispered in a very low voice, "You're planning to get back with…Belikov?" I had a feeling that he had been about to say something not very flattering, and then decided to change his word choice at the last second. Nice to know he was supporting my possible choice, I thought bitterly.

"Perhaps," I said coolly. "At any rate, I suppose we'll find out soon." I needed to think a little longer…but my heart knew the choice I would make.

Adrian motioned us towards the dining room. I went with him, and he shut the door behind him.

He looked aghast at my words. "Rose…how could you just take back after what he did to you?"

"He told me why he chose to leave me," I said. "He's telling the truth. I saw it in his eyes."

"People lie. He could've been making something up so you would go back to him," Adrian said darkly, pacing and running his hands through his dark hair, his green eyes unreadable.

"I've lied many times myself," I commented dryly. "But that's not the point. I know he's telling me the truth. I could feel in my heart he was. Why would he lie to the woman he loves?"

"You can't be serious," Adrian whispered, going paler, even for a Moroi.

"Adrian, I'm sorry if this hurts you," I said, truly meaning it. He'd been there so much for me, and had comforted me in the dark days following Dimitri's abandonment. "But…I love him."

"He hurt you. And now you're just going to say, 'Oh, everything's okay now!' and just go back to him?" Adrian demanded, his green eyes tight with anger. I had never seen him show his emotions so openly around me.

"No, everything's not okay. This means that I forgive him of his actions, and perhaps we can truly be together now," I said. I was puzzled at Adrian's anger. Why was he being so angry over this? I knew he'd liked me…but…what was going on?

"This is the most fucked up world ever," he muttered to himself. He now turned and met my eyes. "If you want my frank opinion, I really wish you wouldn't go back to Belikov. After all that he put you through…You should have someone who is much more stable, more constant."

"Do you have a list?" I asked, trying to raise an eyebrow but failing miserably.

"No…I think you should be with _me_."

I stared at him. I had to be dreaming. I pinched myself to check if I was. Nope, I was still awake. Painfully so.

"You? But…what-"

"Listen to me, please. I have told you numerous times that I love you, but you always couldn't see me because of Dimitri. I have been in love with you since I met you at the ski lodge. I know you don't believe me, because I constantly drink alcohol, sleep around with women, and have no work ethic but I love you, and I wish you wouldn't choose Dimitri."

I was absolutely stunned. I had always known that he'd liked me romantically, but had never taken it seriously. I always regarded him as a friend, and nothing more. But _now_ he'd had to come out and confess his feelings for me? Right when I was contemplating one of the biggest choices of my life, too…

Adrian was admittedly very good looking, with emerald green eyes and stylishly dark brown hair. He was the great-nephew of Queen Tatiana, the ruler of all the Moroi, and thus would always be in a very place in society. Although he often didn't show it, underneath his witty words, he had a deeply caring and sensitive side.

Still…I liked him only as a friend, and even if I hadn't loved Dimitri…I honestly didn't think there would be anything between us. His constant drinking and his previous hook-ups with women…I knew he would never cheat on me , and he would stay faithful to me if we were together, but I couldn't. I had a feeling – just a little instinct – that even if we'd gotten together, I wasn't the right girl for him. I was meant for Dimitri.

And there was factoring in that I was only a guardian, and he was the Queen's great-nephew, from one of the prestigious branches of the Ivashkov family. No, there could be nothing between us, even if Dimitri wasn't here.

"I'm so sorry, Adrian," I whispered. I was going to break his heart, and I was pretty sure our friendship would be ruined, or at least, very unstable for awhile. "I can't. I like you as a friend, and you've been so good and caring to me when I was in so much pain…but I just can't return your feelings. I'm sorry, Adrian. I just…I love _him_." There was no need to say who he was.

Adrian looked absolutely defeated, and I hated for being the cause. He was a smart, handsome, witty guy… "Should've known this was a lost cause from the beginning," he said, with a hint of bitterness. "I'm too much of an alcoholic and a playboy for you, even if Belikov wasn't around, am I right?"

He'd basically voiced my thoughts. Damn him. Did he have a secret mind reading ability from spirit that he'd never told me about?

I knew it would be no use to lie to him, and sighed. "Yeah…you are."

"I guess I always knew that no matter what, you would never reciprocate my feelings," he said, and he took my hand. "But I want you to think about this before you go back to Belikov – even if he's sincere now, what if he's not in the future? Do you really want to go through all that pain again if it happens? It might not…but I want you to consider it before you dive right in, okay?"

"I will," I said with a sigh. Although I loved Dimitri, Adrian had basically voiced all the doubts I'd been carrying so deep within my heart that no one knew about them. "And Adrian…although I don't reciprocate your feelings, I still care about you as a friend. Someday, you'll find someone who is much better for you than I ever was. She'll inspire you to do great things, and bring out the good side of you that you keep hiding. You'll do great things in life."

Adrian scoffed and laughed, a hint of bitterness in his voice. "Right. Like I could find someone who'll inspire me to change the world."

"You will," I said, and believed it with all my heart.

Adrian shrugged. "Well…good luck, I guess." I could only guess at how much it cost him to see those words to me. He wished I would choose him, but knew it would never happen.

I hugged him, and walked away from the dining room.

* * *

Adrian POV

I watched her go, and felt like my heart was breaking. She was too in love with Dimitri to see any other guy. I supposed it was a good thing we'd never gone out in the time they'd been apart, or my heart would've been even more hurt than it was now.

Why do I always get to be the one with my heart broken? Will I ever be able to find true love?

I thought back to Rose's last words, her saying that I would find someone who was much better suited for me than she was. It simply wasn't possible. I felt that Rose was supposed to me one, just like how she felt Dimitri was hers. And who would want a drunk, crazy playboy, and who the hell would be crazy enough to fall in love with me?

It had been a hopeless fight from the start…especially when I saw how much their auras reflected their love and synchronicity with each other. I never had a chance to fight for Rose.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. You'll never get through life this way, I scolded myself. Stop moping around, and just get on with it. This is the only time a girl's ever turned you down. There'll be plenty of beautiful women who want you even for a night.

I opened the dining room door and stepped out, shutting it behind me and pulling out a pack of cigarettes from my pocket.

* * *

Rose POV

My head was still spinning from how Adrian had confessed his love for me. He knew I loved Dimitri, and this served to only complicate things even more.

On the other hand, he had brought up some legitimate doubts I still held even though I now knew the true reason he'd left me.

I sighed and went back to the room I shared with Lissa. Luckily, Dimitri wasn't there. I needed to think alone in peace.

I closed my eyes, and thought of the bad things that happened in Dimitri's absence. He'd lied to me about why he'd left, caused me an endless amount of heartbreak and sorrow in the time we were separated…and even before that, he'd been considering to go with Tasha, we'd had to stay apart when we were at the Academy…

Good memories then flowed into my mind. When he'd started to train time to ensure I became a better guardian, when he'd brought me lip gloss, when we'd been together under the lust spell (although the lust spell hadn't been a good thing), when he'd chosen to turn down Tasha the first time…

I realized that all the good times we'd spent together outweighed the bad. Despite his actions, he truly loved me. He'd left to try to protect me – a misguided attempt, but out of love for me.

I stretched, and ran a hand through my dark hair. My choice was set now…but I wanted to wait a little longer until I told him that I was willing to be with him again.

Another doubt surged into my mind. If Dimitri wanted to be with me again…then what would we do about Lissa's protection? Dash was Adrian's assigned guardian, after all, so he couldn't be spared. Liam was also assigned specifically to Lissa.

I groaned and gently thumped my head against the pillow. It seemed like there was no choice – we would have to carry on a long-distance relationship until we both got our breaks. Lissa lived at Court in Pennsylvania (so she could attend Leighton, a few miles away from the Royal Moroi Court). And Dimitri guarded Tasha here in California, over two thousand miles away from me…

We'll live through this, I said to myself. We'll get through it. This should be nothing compared to the year and half apart from each other.

I heard a knock on the door, and I sensed Lissa's presence with my bond. "Can I come in?"

"Sure."

She came in and sat down on her bed. "Are you alright?"

"If you mean physically, I'm just great. Pretty good for someone who just got out of the hospital today right?" I said. Hard to believe I'd come out of the hospital just today, with everything that had gone down in the past few hours…

"How'd your talk go with Dimitri?" she asked, making herself comfortable on the bed.

"It would take forever to repeat everything word for word," I said with a sigh. "But basically he told me that he left me because he was worried he was becoming a huge distraction for me, and so he wouldn't put my life in danger."

There was a moment of silence, and then Lissa said, "That is the sweetest, most romantic thing I've ever heard in my life."

"Oh man, don't tell me Christian doesn't say sweet things to you," I grumbled.

"Well…he does, but not as romantic as this! That is so cute," Lissa gushed.

I tried to raise my eyebrow at her but failed. "Wow, Liss. You're even happier about it than me."

"Is there any other reason that he left you?" Lissa asked. Damn her and her uncanny ability to sense when people didn't always tell her everything.

"Well…he also felt unworthy of me and wanted me to find someone who was better than him. And he hoped I would find someone I could have a family with."

There was another moment of stunned silence. "He…he left you so you could love someone you could have a family with?" Lissa managed to sputter out, her green eyes wide with shock. "That is also so-"

"Oh shush," I groaned, holding up my hand.

"Fineee," Lissa groaned, flopping down onto her bed, her long hair spreading out over the covers. "But…you're choosing Dimitri now, right?"

"I guess," I murmured. Adrian's confession weighed heavily on my mind. Now he'd definitely complicated things. The confession of his love echoed in my mind again.

_I love you, and I wish you wouldn't choose Dimitri_.

Then the doubts he'd voiced – basically _my_ doubts – also echoed in my mind, and I especially remembered these words.

_Do you really want to go through all that pain again if it happens?_

"Hello? Rose? Are you here?"

I blinked open my eyes to see Lissa waving her hand in front of my face. "You just spaced there for like….a minute. Are you okay?"

"Adrian confessed to me," I blurted out without thinking. "He said he loves me, and he wish I wouldn't choose Dimitri."

Lissa's mouth dropped open and her eyes were wide with shock. Shock radiated through to me from her, magnifying my own feelings. "R-really?"

I nodded.

"Whoa…I never saw that coming. I never would've guessed he really was in love with you…"

"I know," I agreed.

I now looked at the time and saw it was around 1 in the afternoon. "Could you send Dimitri up to me, please?"

Lissa nodded, and left the room. A few minutes later, Dimitri entered the room alone.

His dark brown eyes looked warm and full of love. "What did you choose?" he asked me quietly.

I stood and walked over to him to take his hands in mine. "I wanted to tell you…yes. I want to be with you again, if you'll have me."

His face was lit up by a smile, one of those full genuine smiles. "I'd hoped to hear that," he whispered, and kissed me very softly.


	13. The Happiest Place on Earth

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Vampire Academy.

* * *

Ch. 13 The Happiest Place on Earth

I felt his hands run through my long hair as we kissed, but I couldn't concentrate on anything but how his lips felt against mine. Now we could kiss without any of our previous dark feelings overwhelming us – this kiss was filled with love and happiness. We were finally truly together again.

He pulled away, but still kept me in his arms. "Now that we're together again…shall we go on a date?" he asked me.

I stared at him as my entire body tingled with possibility. "A date?"

Back at the Academy, we had never been able to spend time with each other out of class, much less go on a date. No one – except for Adrian – had been able to tell that we were in love with each other, and we'd planned to keep it that way until graduation. A date sounded magical and fun, just like what any normal couple would do. Which I guess was what we were now – a couple.

"Yes. Is there anywhere you'd like to go that would be fun?"

Hmm. Seeing as we were in the middle of LA…I gasped. There were some possibilities, but only one I was really interested in. "How about Disneyland?" I asked in excitement.

Dimitri looked somewhat taken back at my suggestion. "Disneyland?" he asked, looking truly perplexed. Uh oh.

I groaned, and felt like slapping my hand against my forehead. "_Please_ don't tell me you've never been to Disneyland." That would be so like him…I'd been at the Academy all my life, and it was protective of all the students, but even I'd managed to go to Disneyland one time with Lissa and her family.

"No…" he said sheepishly, looking abashed. "I was in Siberia for the first eighteen years of my life before I graduated and came to the States, but no time for Disneyland…"

I groaned again, and slouched against him. His arms caught me and held me up. "That's it, we're going to Disneyland tomorrow."

"Tomorrow's New Year's Eve. Won't it be super busy?" Dimitri pointed out.

Damn it. He had a point….but I wanted to go to Disneyland anyway. It sounded like a good place for a magical first date. The Happiest Place on Earth. I really could believe it was the Happiest Place on Earth, and fondly reflected on my memories there. "No arguments, we're going to Disneyland."

He laughed softly, his laughter like silk against my skin. "As you wish, Roza."

"We're getting up very early to drive there and line up," I announced, pulling away from him and heading towards the door. "It takes approximately half an hour to go there from here." Assuming there wasn't a huge traffic jam from here to Anaheim.

"Who's going to book the tickets?" Dimitri asked in amusement.

I froze. I hadn't considered that. Oops. "I will. It's only eighty something dollars."

"Only?" Dimitri asked, tilting his head at me.

"Oh c'mon, I've been a guardian for a year and a half now. My monthly salary alone could let me buy a hundred Disneyland tickets," I grumbled.

"I'm only chipping in for my own ticket and nothing else," Dimitri said, sounding even more amused.

"Not even food?" I asked mischievously. He didn't look like it, but he loved eating almost as much as I did, which wasn't quite possible…

He groaned, and ran a hand through his dark locks. "Fine! I'm only chipping in for my ticket and food, but that's it. You'll have to get souvenirs for yourself."

Stifling a laugh, I opened the door and hurried down the stairs.

"Hey Tasha, can I use your laptop?" I called in the direction of the kitchen.

"Lissa has it right now, but go ahead," she called back over the sounds of chopping.

I turned around and saw Lissa typing out something on the laptop, her forehead wrinkled in thought. "Liss, can I use it after?"

"Yeah, why?" she asked, keeping her eyes on the screen as her fingers moved over the keyboard.

"I'm booking tickets for me and Dimitri to go to Disneyland," I said.

At that, Lissa looked up and squealed, sounding even more excited than I was. "Omigod! That is like _the_ perfect place to go for a first date. I have taught you well. But try not to do anything risky since you just came out of the hospital-"

"Don't get too excited, the lines for the rides are going to be a mile long," I groaned.

"Well, just get a Fast Pass or something," Lissa said with a shrug. "I remember from the last time we went there…"

Her eyes grew distant, and the memories of going there with her family flashed through her mind, but she quickly shook it off. "Anyway, just book your tickets now. I'll do it for you."

"Don't use your credit card. I've got my own," I said, fishing around in my pocket and coming up with my Visa card.

Lissa quickly went to the Disneyland page, and booked two tickets. With a thoughtful look in her eye, she remarked, "Hmm…since me and Christian want to go on a date…why don't we make it a foursome?"

"But you need guardians," Liam said from his lounging position near the couch. "We can't just send you to Disneyland alone! Do you have any idea how dangerous it could be with the huge crowds? It's safer by day, but once it's night, Strigoi could infiltrate the place!"

He sort of had a point, I conceded and said so.

"Well…I'd say you and Dimitri could guard us but you guys are on your date, so you shouldn't have to watch out for me and Christian," Lissa said with a frown. "Ugh…"

"There are some guardians permanently stationed at Disneyland," Liam admitted, "but I'd feel safer if guardians from this group went to guard you. It is for your safety so that you can be safe, as the last Dragomir."

Lissa scowled, and I felt her annoyance. She hated being reminded that she was the only Dragomir princess, the last of a prestigious, ancient bloodline. She always had to be careful about where she went, and to be careful to always have a guardian with her because of the Strigoi threat.

"Fine, I'll just stay home," she said with a sigh, finishing the order of two tickets to Disneyland and clicking the print button on the screen.

"It's not that you can't, it's-" Liam tried, but Lissa cut him off before he finished his sentence.

"Yeah, yeah, but I don't want to cause a huge inconvenience for you guys," Lissa said with a sigh. "If I go with Christian, then Eddie and Liam will have to go, and then Dash has to protect Adrian and Tasha, and I really don't want Rose and Dimitri to have to guard us on their first date…"

"I'm sure we can handle just having Dash to guard us, right, Ivashkov?" Tasha called teasingly from the kitchen.

To my surprise, I heard Adrian from the kitchen as well. "Yeah, Tasha can kick ass with her fire magic."

"Well...no, it's alright, I'll just stay here with you guys," Lissa said with a sigh, her hope dimming. She shut the laptop and headed towards the printer to retrieve the tickets. _If only I could go somewhere without a guardian to protect me_, she thought.

I felt her disappointment, but there was nothing I could do about it. This situation was out of my control, and until she had a family, she would always have to be protected.

She stepped out of the computer room with the tickets and handed them over to me. "Have fun tomorrow," she said, smiling. She really was happy for me, that I would have my first date with Dimitri, but she was _not_ happy about how she couldn't go.

* * *

"Are we almost there yet?" I yawned the next morning as we were stalled along Harbor Avenue.

We'd left the house pretty early in order to beat the crowd – 6 am in the morning. Morning traffic had left us half an hour behind schedule, and now it was 7:35. We were close to Disneyland, but not close enough. If I remembered correctly, we were still around twenty minutes away from the parking lot. Everyone had the same idea of coming to Disneyland on New Years' Eve- including beating the crowds. Great.

Dimitri shot me a look of disbelief but kept his hands on the steering wheel. "You've been here before, so shouldn't you know?"

"It's _supposed_ to be twenty minutes, but look at the traffic jam!" I said, pointing accusingly outside. Grr…

"Oh, it'll pass quickly," Dimitri said lightly, patting my hand.

I gritted my teeth and glared at the traffic jam outside. I'll be an old woman before we get to move, I groaned in my head.

In the end, it did pass, after ten minutes of crawling at the speed of ants. Once we got into the parking lot, Dimitri floored the car and we were soon parked at one of the middle spots in the parking lot.

"Make a run for it," I murmured as I saw everyone else get out of their cars and head in the direction of the entrance to Disneyland.

He needed no further urging. After locking the car, we ran towards the entrance.

When we arrived, there was already a nice long line ahead – families, couples, groups of friends…

"We'll never get through," I complained.

"Patience, Roza," Dimitri said, leaning in and pushing a strand of hair away from my face.

I now noticed that quite a number of women around us were eyeing Dimitri with interest. I scowled to myself. Where did they get off checking out Dimitri, when I was standing so close to him? I didn't even want to know what would happen if he'd come here alone. He might've been swarmed by the groups of women.

I noticed one in particular in front of us was trying particularly hard to flirt with him, although she was surrounded by a group of friends. She had dark brown hair that cascaded down her back like a waterfall and lightly tanned skin, and she kept flipping her long hair over her shoulder. When she turned around, I noticed that she had pale ice eyes, fringed by long lashes.

"Excuse me," she said, batting her eyelashes, "have you ever been to Disneyland before? I've never been here before, so could you help me around?"

I glowered at her, and desperately wanted to punch her in the gut. Who the hell was she, flirting excessively with _my_ boyfriend? Dimitri, sensing my tension, took hold of my hand, and his expression read, _Don't do anything rash_. He turned and replied, "Never been here before. Just refer to the maps as your guide." Then he turned back to me and raised his eyebrows at me.

"Satisfied?" Dimitri whispered into my ear, wrapping his arm around my waist.

_Ugh_. I hated how I could get so jealous whenever a beautiful woman flirted with Dimitri. I guess after everything we'd been through together, I thought that he was all mine. Mine, and no one else's. No one else could flirt with him.

"Very," I whispered back.

The line moved at a reasonable pace – but I was eager to re-visit Disneyland so it seemed a lot slower – and we were in the park within half an hour.

"So this is the 'Happiest Place on Earth,'" Dimitri murmured, looking around. We were strolling down Main Street, with various shops and restaurants lining the sides. Hundreds of people milled around, with many of them little children. The festive Christmas decorations and the unlit lights – sure to be glowing during tonight's festivities – gave a general atmosphere of happiness and cheer.

"So up ahead is the Sleeping Beauty Castle," I said, pointing straight ahead to the grand castle sitting ahead of us.

Dimitri studied the castle. "You know, I've probably seen that before."

"In Disneyland pictures, or Sleeping Beauty?" I quipped as we got closer.

"Both, probably," Dimitri returned lightly. "So which ride will we go on first?"

I let out a squeal. "Space Mountain!"

"_What_?"

I dragged Dimitri away from the direction of Sleeping Beauty Castle, and headed in the direction of the Matterhorn.

"Roza, what on earth is Space Mountain?" Dimitri shouted as I dragged him towards the ride.

"You'll see!" I called back. This was going to be fun. A "roller coaster" ride in the dark…I smiled to myself.

* * *

Luckily, the line wasn't…too long. Of course, it was still pretty long, and Dimitri did _not_ look pleased.

"We have to stand in this long line for God knows how long?" he whispered when we were about three-fourths finished with the line.

"Oh, it's fun! The ride I mean, not the line," I amended. "Wait till you see the other crowds. We'll need a Fast Pass then."

"A…what?" Dimitri asked, looking extremely confused.

I sighed. "A Fast Pass is a pass that we can get for a ride. We come back at the time it states on the ticket so we don' need to waste our precious hours here at Disneyland."

Fifteen minutes later, we finally were able to get into a rocket-shaped vehicle. Dimitri eyed it dubiously but made no comment. We stowed our bags in the pouches in front of us.

"Oh, yeah, after we get to the top, close your eyes," I advised Dimitri as the vehicle started on the track.

Dimitri eyed me warily. "Why?"

"Because you might get dizzy," I said cheerily. "And since it's your first time, I'm assuming you don't want to get dizzy."

We then started going up the track, and red beams glowed along t'he sides. We got to the top, and I hoped Dimitri had closed his eyes. I'd gotten dizzy the first time I'd come here, and believe me, it is _not_ fun.

After a few moments had passed, I said to Dimitri, "You can open your eyes now."

We entered an extremely dark room with moons, stars, and other space things glowing in the dark.

"Amazing," Dimitri murmured as we continued around the room.

Towards the end, the ride got faster, and I let out a scream, which startled Dimitri. Two blinks of light, and we were done with the ride.

"You actually screamed," Dimitri said in amusement as we unbuckled our seatbelts and exited Space Mountain.

"I always scream here," I said cheerily as we headed back towards the Sleeping Beauty Castle. "Now, are there any rides you want to go on in particular?"

Dimitri shrugged. "Not really. I'll go on any of the rides that you want me to go on."

A very mischievous idea came into my head. "Even the carousel?" I asked wickedly.

Dimitri cussed in Russian. "Are you serious? That's a little kids' ride, Roza."

"You promised me any ride I wanted to go on," I said, enjoying the miserable look on his face.

"You're terrible," Dimitri complained as we kept walking closer to the Sleeping Beauty Castle. "But if you want me to…"

"I just suggested that to see what your reaction would be," I confessed. He shook his head in disbelief.

I unzipped my bag and yanked out my digital camera. "Let's take a photo together."

Dimitri raised his eyebrows at me but made no comment.

A passing tourist helped us take a photo together, and when I examined it, Dimitri and I were smiling very happily at the camera. I thanked the tourist and stowed the camera back into my bag.

* * *

It was finally around 2:30 in the afternoon when we headed back to Main Street to get a bite – although I knew that Disneyland food, and food in amusement parks and theme parks in general, was pretty overpriced.

So far, we'd gone on It's A Small World (Dimitri wasn't too thrilled at first, but he admitted the little doll-like figures were pretty cute), Snow White's Scary Adventures, Peter Pan's Flight, Matterhorn Bobsleds, and Autopia. I loved all of those rides, and spending time with Dimitri. We'd had to get a Fast Pass for some of them because the lines took so long.

"Autopia was fun for a driving ride," Dimitri remarked as we strolled back down Main Street. "Most rides just run along a track, and you don't get to stop and start." We'd decided to go in different cars because we both wanted to drive on our own.

"See, I told you that you'd like Disneyland," I said, giving him a teasing nudge.

"And maybe, if you behave, I will actually get you a souvenir from here," he said with a wink.

We entered Carnation Café and quickly ordered our food. We devoured it and finished in fifteen minutes.

"There's some clam chowder in the area near Pirates of the Caribbean," I remarked as we exited and headed back towards the Sleeping Beauty Castle. "And I want to go on that!"

We strolled down to the New Orleans Square (which really reminded me of pictures I've seen of the South in Civil War times), and lined up for Pirates of the Caribbean.

After waiting for about forty-five minutes, we boarded a little boat (this ride seemed pretty popular) and started floating out on the water. We passed some diners, and it looked like nighttime.

Dimitri looked astonished as we drifted past an old man with a banjo. "Wasn't it in the afternoon when we boarded?"

"It's called special effects, Comrade," I said teasingly.

We slowed near an archway with a talking skull and crossbones, and it warned us of what was ahead. After the warning finished, I heard the sound of rushing water ahead and gulped. It wasn't like that in the ten years that had-

My thought was interrupted when we plunged down a waterfall, and I screamed pretty loudly with the rest of the passengers, clinging onto Dimitri's arm. Dimitri was extremely startled – both by the waterfall and me clinging onto him like I was drowning – but he kept his stoic face on.

We finally splashed down at the bottom – much to my relief – and we drifted past a group of skeletal pirates guarding their treasure.

"Roza, you were actually scared of the _waterfall_?" Dimitri asked, disbelief in his voice.

"I hadn't seen it before!" I protested. "There wasn't a drop the last time we came."

Dimitri shook his head, looking extremely amused, but held me tight. I recognized some of the scenes from the movie. There was one scene where a man was being dunked into a barrel by some pirates (not funny at all). One of the funniest scenes was a pirate holding a map, and Jack Sparrow was peering over his shoulder.

Dimitri actually laughed at the part where a woman with a rolling pin was chasing after some pirates. "That is pretty funny," he admitted.

We finally sailed out past a figure of Jack Sparrow surrounded by treasure, and daylight streamed in, nearly blinding us. We got out, and I immediately asked if we could eat some clam chowder.

"But we just had lunch-" Dimitri broke off. "Fine, fine. But you're paying."

We brought a bread bowl of clam chowder, and shared it. Dimitri enjoyed it a lot, but we had to split it in half to be fair, and besides, one bowl just for a person was too much.

"What's that?" Dimitri asked as we passed the Haunted Mansion.

I shivered, even though it was daytime. "If you like scary things and…ghosts, then go inside. Without me." I don't like ghosts, pretend or otherwise, I thought unhappily.

Dimitri shook his head. "We either go together or not at all."

Then we decided, since it was so hot, to go on Splash Mountain. I told Dimitri, "It's a…ride where at the end, you get all wet unless you're sitting in the back."

"What? I don't want to get all wet," Dimitri complained as we got into the line. "I don't have an extra shirt!"

"Well, that's too bad, Comrade," I said sweetly, turning a smile on him.

"Besides, you'll catch a cold," he added, taking in my ruffled tank top, shorts, and sandals.

I rolled my eyes. "I have a cardigan, and I'll dry off fast, Comrade."

The line moved pretty slowly. I guess everyone had the same idea of going on Splash Mountain to cool off. LA heat was _terrible_, even in the winter time. I felt like I was going to get sunburned, even though I usually never did. I fanned my cheeks, hoping to stay cool.

We got on the log after about forty minutes, but to my disappointment, we were in the third row. "Damnit, we won't feel the water."

"Thank goodness," Dimitri sighed in relief as the ride started.

We passed some setting I didn't really notice, and then I heard some very loud snoring from a cave. We drifted indoors, and there were singing animals. Ugh! We neared a rabbit and a bear and fox…and I noticed the drop.

Everyone let out a scream as we plunged down the waterfall, and a wave of water splashed up over us and drenched us. Dimitri did not look happy to be soaking wet as we drifted into another indoor portion and finally back at the unloading area. "Roza, you are crazy," he growled after we got off.

"Hey, it's hot out," I protested.

* * *

We passed the rest of the day by going on the Jungle Cruise and Indiana Jones Adventure (it was fun until we went over the lava in a shaky "Jeep"), then headed back to Fantasyland, where we went on the Casey Jr. Train, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and the carrousel. We decided to go back on some of the rides we'd gone on earlier after eating a fast dinner, and afterwards, Dimitri took me to the store near the Sleeping Beauty Castle.

"I decided to be nice, and get you two souvenirs," he said playfully, his eyes full of excitement.

I picked out a tiny "diamond" Mickey Mouse necklace and a little cute Mickey Mouse plush. I'd loved Mickey Mouse when I was little, although I never told anyone.

After paying for my presents, we stepped out of the store. It was now around 9:30 in the evening, and all dark out.

"We're staying out until midnight, right?" Dimitri asked as we passed under the lit-up Sleeping Beauty Castle.

"Yeah, but I wonder if you'll fall asleep first," I teased.

"Only two and a half hours more," Dimitri said with an exaggerated sigh. "I think I'll manage."

"But what are we going to do now?" I asked as we walked back towards Main Street.

Dimitri smiled, a slight glint in his eyes. "We're going to do a little walking tour of Disneyland in two hours, without going on a ride."

* * *

We eventually arrived back in front of Sleeping Beauty about two hours and twenty minutes later, to catch the fireworks.

I caught my breath. I hadn't been looking at the castle earlier, but it was magnificent. Still draped in the holiday decorations, it was now glowing with a pink glow.

"It's beautiful," I murmured, staring at the castle. I'd never seen something that looked so festive and beautiful…

"It is, isn't it?" Dimitri agreed, wrapping his arms around me tightly.

It was already very crowded, and now our view of the castle was obscured by more people. Still, we'd get a good view of the fireworks in the sky.

Soon, it was time to begin the countdown. I saw the board with the numbers glowing on a podium above the crowd, and the lights revealed Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and more Disney characters. I recognized some of the Disney Princesses in holiday versions of their dresses.

"Ten…nine….eight…" The crowd chanted as the numbers ticked down closer and closer.

I locked eyes with Dimitri, and we yelled with the crowd, "Five, four, three, two, one! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Then Dimitri leaned in, and kissed me.

There were loud screams of joy around us, but I barely noticed. I was too busy holding Dimitri and kissing him back. Our first kiss of the New Year.

We pulled away, and Dimitri whispered, "Happy New Year, Roza."

I winked at him as he took my hand and we started walking down Main Street. "Happy New Year to you too, Comrade."

* * *

**Author's note**: Finally my writer's block went away and I could finish this chapter. Took awhile but finally got there :) Soo for the next chapter...does anyone want me to put a lemon? ;D Reviews are greatly appreciated! Just a few more chapters to go.


	14. Love That Burns Bright

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Vampire Academy.

Note: Lemon in this chapter…so if you don't like lemons just skip this chapter.

* * *

Ch. 14 Love That Burns Bright

By the time we finally arrived back at Tasha's, it was well past one in the morning. I stifled a yawn as we walked up the pathway. It would've been "morning" in the Moroi world, but after adjusting to a human daylight schedule…

"We'll be in bed soon," Dimitri said, looking over at me with a slight smile as he unlocked the door and gestured me in.

"HAPPY NEW YEARS!" the entire group yelled, nearly scaring the shit out of me.

I yelped and spun around.

"We actually s-scared Rose," Christian slurred, holding up a beer. I groaned as I opened up myself to Lissa – I'd shut out the bond for most of the day – and felt the buzz of alcohol. I shielded the bond out, and sighed.

"Really, you guys? It's the first morning of the New Year, and you guys want to drink yourselves senseless?" Dimitri asked in exasperation as he locked the door behind us.

"C'mon, Dimka! It's the New Year!" Tasha said, patches of red on her pale cheeks. She was holding a glass of what suspiciously appeared to be red wine. Oh boy. I was pretty sure she didn't have red wine last time…

"Everyone, get to bed," Dimitri said firmly, picking up some food wrappers off the floor and carrying them to the kitchen.

"Our neighbors next door are even louder than us," Eddie said. He appeared to be the only one who wasn't drinking. Liam and Dash had drunk a little, but not to the point where they were very drunk.

"We're just fine," Adrian slurred, a drunken smile on his face.

Dimitri sighed, and took the bottle of vodka that Adrian held. I filled a glass of water and walked Adrian to his room.

"Really, do you want to end up drinking non-stop for the rest of your life?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips after I helped him into bed.

Adrian sighed and downed the water. "Nah. It's just…alcohol helps me think clearer and I don't feel so…crazy…" He closed his eyes and started snoring very lightly.

I shook my head, and walked back out to the living room.

Dimitri was eyeing the rest of our drunk friends with a doubtful look on his face.

"I can take over from here," Eddie assured him. "Liam can help, it's just Dash who's a bit incapacitated. Just go to sleep, you two."

"If you say so," Dimitri said with a doubtful look, and taking my bags. "Come on, Roza."

* * *

We went upstairs to the room I shared with Lissa and I flopped down on the bed. "God, I'm so tired."

"Too tired….for other things?" Dimitri asked, his voice full of challenge.

I sat up at the tone in his voice, and winked at him. I knew what he wanted, and to be honest, I really wanted it too. Badly.

"Why don't you come over here and find out?" I asked seductively as I walked towards him. I ran my fingers against my hair, and his eyes were riveted on my every move. I bit my lip lightly, running my tongue against my lip, and I could hear his intake of breath.

Dimitri shut the door behind him and locked it. I knew what would happen between us now. I was powerless to stop it, and I didn't want to.

"I love you," he whispered, pulling me close against him.

"I love you too," I whispered, tilting my head up so I could look into his eyes.

He leaned down and kissed me passionately. This kiss was more different than the ones we'd shared previously. It held passion, desire…

We started moving towards the bed as we kissed. He took his shirt and jeans off, and I couldn't help but stare a little at him. He still had the perfect body that I remembered from when we were together in the cabin, with ripped muscles and a perfectly flat stomach.

He now yanked off my shorts, and eased his hand up under my tank top and gently stroked my breasts. I gasped at his touch. It wasn't like he'd never touched me before, but after a year and half of going without it…it felt like the first time.

"Do you like this?" he asked, a slight sexy rasp in his voice.

"Yes," I whispered as he continued massaging my breasts. My body was practically singing at his touch now.

He trailed a path of kisses from my neck all the way down to the area between my breasts and I shivered at his touch and pulled him closer, kissing the side of his throat.

He pulled my tank top over my head and tossed it away from the bed. I was now just in my panties. He now pushed me towards the bed, and I fell against it on my back. His weight kept me against the bed, and I wouldn't have been able to escape even if I'd wanted to.

"You're so beautiful it hurts me," he whispered, his eyes taking my body in. He echoed words he had told me a long time ago, the first time we'd made love to each other in the cabin. The way he looked at me told me that he really did believe I was the most beautiful woman in the world.

I smiled up at him, and kissed him softly, but the passionate feelings between us couldn't be held back, and soon he was kissing me in a way that left me completely breathless.

He now pulled my panties down, and he kissed my inner thighs before he moved down against my center. I felt him tentatively brush his lips against my center, and I gasped. The sensations running through me were nothing I'd ever felt before.

"Shhh, Roza," he whispered, and suddenly his tongue was inside of me, flicking inside my center. Oh my God...

I moaned as his tongue found a sensitive spot, and pushed his head closer against my legs. I couldn't help but squirm around on the bed as his tongue kept flicking inside of my center. It felt so good.

He moved his hands against my hips to keep me still as he kept going, but it felt impossible to keep from squirming around. How could I keep still when he was doing something so intimate to me? My hands tangled in his hair and I relaxed my legs to make it easier for him. He went even deeper into me with his tongue, and I cried out in pleasure.

When he finally stopped, I was panting crazily, my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath. I now collapsed against the bed, and pulled him closer to me. He leaned in and kissed me very deeply, running his tongue deeper into my mouth and pressing me flat against the bed.

He pulled away and whispered, "You taste so good, Roza. You're so wet."

God, I wanted him. Desire was running throughout my entire body, and I knew from the look in his eyes that he wanted me too.

I slid my hand against the front of his boxers, and he made a low sound in his throat. "Roza, that feels so good."

I smirked. Now it was my turn to make him feel good. I now flipped him over and now he was underneath me.

I gently trailed my fingers against his inner thigh. I must've been driving him crazy, judging from his heavy breathing, but he didn't beg me. This was way too much fun.

"Do you want it?" I asked him, lowering my eyelashes at him.

"Yes," he managed to gasp out, breathing faster.

I slowly slid my hand against the front of his boxers again, teasing him just a little bit more, and then finally slid my hand inside. He was so big inside. I slowly started rubbing and massaging him there, and I could feel his breathing get even faster.

I stopped, and then he flipped me over so now I was the one under him. "Hmm…" he murmured, kissing the inside of my arm and then making his way to my breast and sucking on it. He slipped his free hand under my panties and down to my butt.

I let out a soft moan as I felt his tongue flick against my breast. I wondered how much longer I would be able to hold it, since I felt very hot and wet in my sensitive area.

"I think y-you should hurry up," I whispered into Dimitri's ear, leaning up and kissing his throat and kissing all the way down to his chest. His skin was very soft against my tongue.

"Be patient, Roza," he murmured seductively. "When I do make love to you, you're going to be very sore in the morning."

"It _is_ morning," I couldn't help but cheekily point out.

Dimitri let out a soft growl and then kissed the soft spot behind my ear, and worked his way down to the base of my throat.

He looked down at me, and the look in his eyes told me how much he loved me. That look held a question – a question that only I had the answer to.

I kissed him hard in response, and soon I felt him sliding my thin panties down my legs and he tossed them aside. I was too busy taking off his boxers and then tossed them somewhere in the room. My body tingled all over at his touch, like an electric current was running through me.

He positioned himself against me and whispered, "I love you, Roza" before he thrust all the way into me.

I gasped. This wasn't the first time I was making love with Dimitri…so why did it hurt?

At my gasp, Dimitri pulled out a little and looked down at me. "Roza…did I hurt you?"

But the pain was gone, and it felt like the most wonderful feeling was running through me. The pain had only been temporary.

I whispered, "Make me forget my own name. Show me you love me, Dimitri."

I barely had time to adjust before he slid himself even more into me, and I cried out. I relaxed my legs so there'd be more room for him, and he kissed me hard, his hands sliding against my shoulders and through my long hair. I gripped him to me in a way that might've hurt him a little, but he never complained. I moaned and it felt like I was going to be driven back hard against the bed with the force of his thrusts, but I didn't care. I shoved my hips harder against him in response, slamming him roughly into me.

I felt a slow buildup in my sensitive area. I was so close. "Dimitri, I think I'm going to come," I gasped, my nails almost digging into his back.

"Come for me, Roza," he breathed sexily into my ear, sending chills up my back.

I cried out as my entire world exploded around me, and I went over the edge, crying out his name. I felt him rock inside of me as he came and had his own release too. He moaned and collapsed against me. Our bodies felt like they were touching in all the right places, like we were two halves of the same puzzle. We were both panting like we'd run fifty laps, and were both covered in a light sheen of sweat from our passionate lovemaking.

We lay together for a little bit, our heart beats gradually slowing back down to normal. I lightly brushed my lips against his neck.

My body really did feel sore all over like Dimitri had said I would be, but that had been one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. I hadn't known that the second time would feel so exciting and more sensual than the first time…

When Dimitri lifted his head and kissed my lips, this time it was much gentler and sweeter than earlier. "I love you, Roza," he murmured, tucking a strand of my hair back around my ear. He laid his head against my chest, listening to my heart.

"I love you too, Dimitri," I whispered back, feeling so happy I felt like I would explode from happiness.

"This is one of the most amazing nights of my life," Dimitri said, rolling off me and holding me close.

My eyelids started to flutter a little now. I was tired from Disneyland, and from what we had just done, I thought with a smile on my face.

"Sleep," Dimitri said softly, kissing my cheek. "Sweet dreams, Roza."

"Good night," I murmured, closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep in the arms of the man I loved.


	15. Epilogue

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Vampire Academy.

* * *

Epilogue

Light streamed through the windows, and it was annoying me now since I couldn't go back to sleep. My dreams had been very good, but not nearly as good as what had happened last night…

I opened one eye sleepily, and rolled over a little on my side. I felt Dimitri wrap his arms tightly around my waist, and he brushed his lips over my ear. "Good morning, beautiful," he murmured, his voice soft as silk.

"Morning, Dimitri," I murmured, relaxing in the feel of our bodies pressed against each other. I stretched, but winced a little. I felt a bit sore, but not to where it actually hurt. It actually felt sort of pleasant.

Dimitri instantly sensed my wince. "Did I hurt you last night? Do you feel okay? Do I-"

I laughed lightly and pressed my finger to his lips. It was so cute, how he was now concerned if I was alright. It was a secret side to the badass warrior side everyone else saw. "I'm fine, Dimitri! I'm just…you know…a little sore."

When I turned on my stomach so I could see Dimitri's face, he'd arched an eyebrow at me. "A little sore?" he repeated. "Would you care to explain why you're sore?"

"You know…from last night," I said, looking down shyly. I felt extremely shy, talking about it, but I was trying not to show it.

Dimitri laughed, his laughter warm and rich as chocolate, and he kissed my mouth. "So I really did make you sore last night."

"Do I have to make you sore if you do it again?" I threatened, but I doubt I'd be able to carry out my threat.

"Like you'd be able to?" Dimitri said, smirking at me. He then kissed me very passionately, wrapping his arms around me as he put his weight on me, and I forgot everything around us. He moved his lips down to the side of my neck, and started sucking lightly on it, and I tipped my head back so he'd have better access. He then moved his mouth back to my mouth.

There was a knock on the door, but we still couldn't stop kissing. I felt him run his tongue against mine, and then it felt like he was trying to reach his tongue into the back of my mouth.

There was a second knock, and Dimitri pulled away. "W-what are you doing?" I asked, touching a hand to my tingling lips.

"Maybe you should get that…" Dimitri suggested, an extremely reluctant look on his face. His eyes seemed to suggest that we should just keep kissing and shut the entire world out.

"No way! I'm not getting that door," I protested, pulling him back to me and running my hands through his smooth, silky hair.

There was an exasperated sigh from the other end of the door. "Rose, it's me! Open the door before I bang it down!"

Uh oh. I stopped kissing Dimitri, and stared at him in alarm.

"Liss…this is kind of a bad time, so could you come back in like…two minutes?"

"Two minutes?" Dimitri whispered.

There was silence. "Fine! If you're not fully dressed in two minutes, I really will kick down that door."

I leapt off the bed, and then I realized that all our clothes were still scattered in a mess on the floor. I turned around, and I noticed that Dimitri's eyes were lingering on my body. I crossed my arms over my chest, but I knew it wasn't going to help, seeing as he'd seen a lot of my body already…

"See something you like, Comrade?"

"Lots," he murmured, sliding off my bed. I couldn't help but stare at his body too. "Come on, Roza, let's get dressed before Vasilisa destroys the door to see what's going on."

We finally got dressed, but it was hard, since Dimitri kept kissing me. Eventually we did get dressed and I unlocked the door.

Lissa was standing there, looking like she hadn't been drinking just the night before. Her pale green eyes were radiant, and her golden hair and pale skin were practically all glowy. "Guardian Belikov," she said with a nod to Dimitri. "Can I talk to Rose for a moment?"

"Sure," Dimitri said. He planted a kiss on my cheek. "I'll see you later, alright?"

I smiled and waved to him as he walked down the hall.

Lissa now went into our room and sat on her own bed. "So, Rose. What exactly happened here last night?" she asked, a grin on her face that said she had a very good guess of what had happened. I knew that once she'd gotten an interest in a subject, she'd never let go.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "When you start making out with Christian like there's no tomorrow and then I get sucked into your head?"

Lissa groaned, and threw her hands into the air. "That's not what I was talking about, and you know it."

"Oh?" I asked, in an attempt to act innocent, but I doubted it was working. I had never claimed to be innocent in the first place.

"You had sex with him, didn't you?" Lissa demanded, lowering her voice.

I groaned. "Oh, come on, Liss! It's too early for a Spanish Inquisition questioning."

"You did!" Lissa squealed. She winked at me. "I won't spill your…er, dirty little secret."

"It's not like it's the first time," I muttered darkly.

"True…but how was it?" Lissa asked, waggling her eyebrows at me in a very suggestive way. If she hadn't been my best friend, I would've yelled at her, but as it is, I shoved her arm to try to get her to shut up. "Did he start tearing all your clothes off?"

"Lissa!" I didn't exactly want to tell anyone how when we'd been alone, he might have wanted to tear my clothes off, but he'd restrained himself.

"Okay, okay, fine! I won't ask for details," Lissa grumbled.

"But it was the most amazing, sweetest experience in the world," I said, recalling how wonderful it had been, feeling his hands on me, and how his lips had felt on my sensitive areas…

Lissa stood up gracefully and ran a hand through her pale locks. "C'mon, let's get some breakfast. I'm starving."

* * *

I frantically rushed around the room, peeking under the bed to make sure that I'd packed everything in my suitcase.

It was now the night of January 4th, and we were leaving tomorrow to head back to Court. Lissa was glad, and ready to go back to Lehigh, where she attended school.

"Honestly, if you'd been neater about unpacking, you wouldn't be in this situation," Lissa called from where she was lounging on her own bed.

I glared at her, and scooped up a pair of beat-up flats and threw them into the suitcase. "I prefer the lived in look instead of being neat as a pin, Liss."

This continued for two more minutes, and I straightened up. "Done! I got my packing done before midnight," I added with a smirk, pointing to the clock. It was eleven forty-five.

After coming back from the Butterfly Hour for a last dinner together, we'd just hung out in the living room, watching movies and playing video games. Everyone seemed very happy now, but we weren't all too happy that we had to leave.

"How do you think you'll be able to handle not being able to see Dimitri every day now?" Lissa asked me, softening her voice. "You guys will be over two thousand miles away from each other."

I sighed. "I really don't know. It's going to be hard, now that we're together again. I guess we'll handle. I mean…we sort of handled it back at the Academy."

Not very well, I added mentally in my head.

"Well…you guys will make it through. I have faith in you. Besides, after you got back with Dimitri, he looks at you like you put the moon and stars into the sky," Lissa said lightly. "And your auras are so bright around each other. I've never actually seen the auras of two people who love each other deeply, and who are soulmates."

"Yeah…but we'll be so far away," I sighed, feeling depressed. I really wished Tasha would just move back to Court – even temporarily – so I could be with Dimitri a little longer.

A slight smile played on Lissa's lips. Suddenly, I felt like I couldn't see into her head anymore. "What are you doing?" I demanded.

"Hey, I just wanted to try if I can block you out again," she said with a grin on her face as she stood up. "I'm…going to Christian's."

"Eww, good thing you blocked me from your mind," I complained. That's disgusting, I added in my head, and judging from the grin on Lissa's face, it was on my face too.

"Okay, night!" she said cheerily, shutting the door behind her. "Don't wait up!"

I groaned and flopped over onto the bed. I knew since it was my last night with Dimitri, I should probably take this chance to have him make love to me…but I feared it'd be too painful for me to bear, knowing tonight would be our last together for awhile.

There was a slight knock on the door, and I opened the door to see Dimitri. He looked as gorgeous as ever, even though he was just wearing a simple shirt and sweats.

"Hey, Comrade," I said nonchalantly.

"Hello Roza. I think I'd like to spend the night with you," he said, just as casually.

"But no sex," I warned as I shut the door.

He tilted his head at me, the question clear in his eyes.

"It's…it's too painful to bear…knowing that we won't be together for awhile," I explained as I sat down on the bed, looking at the floor.

Dimitri came over to me and wrapped his arms around me. "Don't worry," he soothed, stroking my hair. "Vasilisa will be out of school in June – or maybe even earlier – and then we will be able to meet again."

"Tasha won't be coming to Court anytime soon?" I asked glumly.

"Probably not. You know how the other royals don't like or trust her that much…especially given her stance on how the Moroi should learn to fight," he said.

I sighed. The Moroi firmly believed that magic was used for defense, and not offense. They wouldn't use their magic for any fighting, although the fire users during the Strigoi attack on St. Vladimir's had made a huge difference. Many of the Moroi didn't agree with those who wanted to learn to fight with their magic. Tasha and Christian strongly advocated it, but not everyone was listening.

"I guess we'll just have to wait," I glumly conceded.

"Yes, but for now, get some sleep," Dimitri said, kissing my forehead. "Your flight leaves at 11 tomorrow, so sleep."

He gently kissed my lips, and our kiss grew in passion. Despite me earlier saying we wouldn't have sex tonight, I found myself pulling him down on top of me. His warm, solid weight on me felt very comforting. Dimitri ran his hands down along my shoulders and down to my hips before he pulled away.

"If you're trying not to have sex, you're not doing a very good job," he teased me lightly, his jaw nipping at my neck. My neck felt warm as he kissed it and lightly sucked on it.

"You're not doing a very good job of listening to me, are you?" I returned, relaxing my shoulders. "I thought you were the one who's good with self-control."

"I don't really feel an urge to control myself, if you know what I mean," Dimitri replied, linking his fingers through mine as he kissed my eyelids. "Maybe you should go sleep."

"Like I want to sleep with you so close to me and kissing me?" I pouted.

"Sleep," Dimitri said as he settled himself close to me and turned off the light. "Sweet dreams, Roza."

My eyelids fluttered shut, and I found myself drifting off to sleep.

* * *

When I woke up, Dimitri wasn't there. I turned over, and I didn't feel him hugging me closer like he normally did when we slept together and I woke up.

I sighed. We'd be headed off to the airport in about an hour, judging from the time. I got dressed, and headed down to the kitchen.

Adrian looked distinctly unhappy about something, and the circles under his normally bright green eyes indicated he hadn't slept well. Everyone else looked like they were happy, and Dimitri had his guardian face on. Lissa looked ready to burst about something.

"Rose, I have some good news for you," she said, her green eyes dazzling with happiness. It was radiating to me through the bond, and although I was depressed, I felt myself perk up a little.

_Dimitri and Tasha are coming back to Court!_ she yelled in my mind.

I stared at her. "_What_?" No way…

Dimitri's eyes were shining with happiness, telling me that it was true, but I still couldn't quite bring myself to believe it.

Tasha looked over as she put a plate of eggs in front of us. "If she told you we're coming back to Court, it's true," she confirmed. "We're not planning to stay there forever, but we'll stay for awhile. Besides, I can advocate more easily for magic as a defense weapon."

"But…why?" I couldn't help but ask after my first bite of eggs.

Dimitri and Tasha exchanged a look. "Mainly so I can remain with you," Dimitri said quietly. "We were also thinking of shuffling guardians so I can be with you."

"What?" I gasped. Back at the Academy, one of our biggest problems had been that once I became a guardian, it wouldn't be easy for us to be in a relationship. We had both been Lissa's guardians, and it would be hard for us to get any off time.

"Not as Lissa's guardian," Dimitri clarified. "Maybe we'll switch Liam with Eddie, and then switch Liam with me. Something like that."

Spending time with Dimitri….the thought was intoxicating. Would I finally be getting a fairytale ending after all?

"Wait. How did you guys manage to get seats on the plane?" I asked as something occurred to me. "I thought the plane was all booked!"

"Well…there were some empty seats," Tasha said lightly. "And I booked those last 2 seats. We'll all be flying back to Court in a few hours, so better eat up! Airplane food isn't always that great."

As the banter continued, I looked over at Dimitri, feeling like I could burst from happiness. The love of my life was returning to Court, and we had a chance of being together on our off time. It wasn't necessarily a perfect solution, since Dimitri might not end up with anyone in our circle of friends.

But at least now, we had a chance to be closer than we had previously. It gave me hope for our future together.

* * *

**Author's note**: So this concludes _Fighting Against Love_. I want to give a big thank-you to all the people who read and reviewed this story. Without you, this story wouldn't have possible :] I hope you enjoyed this fanfic, and I will continue to write more fanfics in the future!

~ eveningstar1996~

I'm beginning a new fanfic about Sydney and Adrian (_A Golden Love_), but not sure about what I'll do for the storyline...if you could read/review and put up some ideas, that would help a lot with writing that story. Thank you all again for reading/reviewing my fanfics! :)


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